Light Upon The Past
by Estellia
Summary: Hedwig always seemed to be too smart for a normal owl. What if she wasn't? Warning: OC Hedwig and minor AU.
1. Prologue: Amurila Magurall

Disclaimer: Thank you for paying me such a big compliment as to think I'm J. K. Rowling or that this story would actually make me money!

Warnings: Alternate Universe, warped timeline and minor changes to plot. This story has been updated to be compliant with OotP, HBP and now DH.

**Prologue: Arriella Magurall**

My name is Arriella Magurall, but when people are too lazy to call me that – which is most of the time, they prefer Ariel. I was, am, and will be a Marauder, one of the four daring pranksters. We were the best that Hogwarts had ever seen. To be a girl in an all-boys group is strange, I know. But then, I had never been normal either. I said four, because the last member of our group has been disowned, and Lily was not an original Marauder.

If anyone were to ask me, "What do you hate the most?" I would answer that it was the Dark Arts. In this way, the Marauders are alike. For me, it was my past. For James, his parents were Aurors, and he was brought up to hate Dark Magic. For Sirius, despite his upbringing, his desire to be different propelled his hate. For Remus, it was the dark nature of the werewolf and the prejudice against Dark Creatures. And for all of us, it was the horror of what Voldemort can accomplish with Dark Magic.

I am a Marauder, not because I top all my classes, but simply because of the train compartment I picked on that very first day. My marks are above average, and I do not love flying like James. Sure, I like it and all, but I am not that enamoured with Quidditch. I'm not a prefect, the good boy, unlike Remus. I'm not a pranking mastermind – that's Sirius. But thankfully, I'm also not a tagging little kid – you should know who that is.

When we found out that Remus was a werewolf, we did the unthinkable for him – all because he was our friend. We became Animagi, to stay with Remus during the full moon and help him through when he was no longer himself. If only the wolfsbane had been invented earlier… , he would have suffered less. James became a stag, Sirius a dog, Peter a rat, and me a snowy owl. Moony, Wormtail, Skye, Padfoot, and Prongs were born one night in the fifth years boys' dormitory.

Together in school, we made the Marauders' Map, emblazoned with our nicknames. We scouted out the school grounds with a werewolf in tow. We made friends, yes friends, with Peeves the poltergeist. We played pranks on everyone, even the teachers. We helped James to win Lily's heart. And we made Snivellus, sorry I mean Severus's life at Hogwarts a living hell. Most of all, we had fun, and somehow all – I mean most of us managed to pass our NEWTs with flying colours.

James, Sirius and Remus remained my very best friends, even after we graduated. The Marauders, with Lily in Peter's place, was possibly Dumbledore's best Hit Squad. Attacks on and by Death Eaters used to be a monthly routine.

We laughed together when James got married, endured the full moon together with Remus, helped Peter with his work, and all that. I prefer not to think about that traitorous rat too much. How could he? We were his friends, who shared our fun, who saved him from trouble, and what not!

We were brilliant, but too asinine to spot the traitor. We were powerful, but too weak to stop Voldemort. We were united, until one who knew us best ripped us apart from the inside.

He betrayed us, all of us, and sent James and Lily to their deaths.

But after those years of grace, tragedy struck. He was the reason James and Lily died. He was the reason I spent years as an owl. He was the reason why Sirius landed in Azkaban. He was the reason why Remus had to survive twelve years of heartbreaking grief.

I was finally alone, with no living blood relatives left in the world. All except for my friends. When I think of Harry, however, I realised that he had it worse than I had. To be sent to his uncaring relatives, not knowing he was a wizard until the age of eleven! Everyone he ever cared deeply for was taken away by Voldemort, everything.

When Voldemort came back, the remaining true Marauders – Sirius, Remus and I – sprang into action. We were among the first to re-join the Order of the Phoenix, eager to see the murderer of James and Lily fall. Despite the passage of time, despite the uncertainties in a world where no one trusts anyone else, despite the deaths of our friends, our friendship held true.

This is the story, my story, my life. it may seem impossible, everything, but it is nevertheless reality. Will I have happiness? I sometimes wondered. Thinking back to the times at Hogwarts, after Voldemort died, and the times when I could rest easily knowing everyone I loved was safe and sound, that is what I call happiness. And I answer myself, yes.

It all began on the day James and Lily were murdered by Voldemort, and the prophecy proven true. _He shall have powers the Dark Lord knows not, and the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal…_


	2. 1: A Calm Before The Storm

**The Calm before a Storm**

_It's but a brief escape_

_Nothing'll hinder his parade_

_It's just a matter of time_

_But we're all still in our prime_

_So just for once_

_Let us prance_

_In the eye of the approaching storm_

Godric's Hollow was nestled in a quiet little valley, far from all other residences. Neither were its occupants totally normal. James and Lily Potter, as well as their one-year-old son Harry, were wizards. And not just normal wizards, but wizards seeking refuge from the most evil wizard of all times, Lord Voldemort.

"Bang!" A loud noise not unlike a gunshot erupted suddenly, disrupting the morning peace. A huge motorbike materialized out of thin air, carrying two people, a young man and woman. The woman disembarked, starting to laugh.

"Well, Sirius," Amurila grinned, "why don't you fix your motorbike to work on stealth mode? I'm sure we don't need cannons heralding our arrival fifty miles away."

Sirius laughed too. "Right, I'll do something about that noise. You've got enough to do without worrying about that too." He nodded at Godric's Hollow. It seemed so empty and devoid of life, but he knew it was an illusion. Inside, James and Lily would be busy with that new escape route they were planning.

"See you. I'll call if I need help." Amurila held up her five-way mirror.

Sirius nodded. "Bye. I'll pick you up exactly six hours later. Meanwhile I'll go check on Peter." Both of them knew the importance of keeping an exact time to avoid unpleasant surprises, and also about the powers of friendship.

Just as Ariel turned to walk towards the house, Sirius called, "Ariel, can I have a word?"

"Yeah, sure." Amurila turned around, looking at him expectantly.

"Watch your back." Sirius whispered almost inaudibly.

"What do you think I've been doing all this while?" she inquired, a smile starting to form on her face. If that was what Sirius wanted, she could manage easily.

"Watching other people's backs. Take care. I don't want you to die more than I want James and Lily to." Sirius replied with an uncharacteristic concern on his face.

The look was wiped from her face as she stared at Sirius. "I will. I promise." She wheeled around as another reverberating bang signalled Sirius's departure.

Amurila sighed. Life had not been easy, ever since Dumbledore had told the Marauder that Voldemort was after the Potters. After that tip-off, Godric's Hollow was heavily protected against all attacks. What with it Unplottable, Muggle-Repelling, an Anti-Apparation shield over it, illusionary charms on every inch, and the Fidelius Charm, nothing could possibly happen.

Peter had better do a good job. A Secret Keeper was a huge responsibility. Lost in her thoughts, she absent-mindedly knocked the signal on the front door. Thrice short … once long … twice short … once long … once short.

The door swung open at once. James's boyish grin met her eyes as she stepped over the threshold. He held baby Harry in one arm. In the other was his wand, which he promptly lowered to avoid accidentally hexing one of his best friends.

"Hi Ariel. Thanks for delivering the food monthly and bringing us news. You're a lifesaver. No one can possibly imagine how boring it is, being stuck in here while others are out there fighting Voldemort." James smiled gratefully. "Having you around makes me feel safer too." He led her into the nursery.

Even before they approached, they could hear activity in the room. As they walked in, Lily rushed forward and gave Amurila a hug.

"You don't know what it could be like, being stuck in this house with you as our only means of communication with the outer world. Please, don't leave as early as you did last time." Lily exclaimed as she let go.

"Don't worry, Lily. I've told Sirius to pick me up in the evening, six hours later. He needs to check on Peter. I'll keep you company till then." she laughed at Lily's eagerness.

The adults chatted about the outside world while feasting on Lily's exceptional cooking. After a while, Harry dozed off, since he did not understand most of the exchange. Lily carried him gently to his cot, where he slept fitfully, and they moved their conversation into the living room.

"It's like a calm before the storm. When Voldemort strikes, which he will eventually do, chaos will reign. But it's so peaceful here, it's hard to imagine." James commented.

"Yeah, true." Lily agreed. "But Harry won't know a thing. He'll be too young to remember."

"To endanger such an innocent young little boy's life. It's almost like a crime you know. It's so terrible." Amurila shook her head slowly. "But at least Peter's holding out quite well."

"Good for him. But as for Remus…" James stopped abruptly, his face taking on a look of guilt and pain. "Well, he still thinks that Sirius is Secret Keeper. He hasn't got a single clue about what's going on. He should be trusted; after all, he is a Marauder. But Sirius …" Again, James broke off and shrugged slightly.

"Cheer up, it's Halloween. You can make up to Remus later." Lily said softly. Both women knew James's agony and shame at distrusting one of his best friends, whom he had known since eleven.

All of a sudden, something burned in Amurila's pocket. She was rather puzzled, as no one knew the number but Sirius. And he had nothing to call about – or did he?

"Hello?" Pressing the receive button, almost afraid to hear the answer to that simple question, Amurila raised the phone to her ear. James had inched nearer and was attempting to listen.

But there was no need to get any closer. Ariel dropped the phone as Sirius's voice exploded from the receiver. "Amurila! Get them out of there! Now!"

She hastily picked it up. "But what – "

Amurila never finished her sentence as Sirius screamed, "RED ALERT! RUN!"

The line dropped dead, and a deafening silence fell. James and Lily looked frozen, while Amurila stared at the receiver.

"Ariel, what does red alert mean?"James's voice startled all of them.

"Wha – oh, highest level of danger, supposed to be used in combat."

"What do we do now?" Lily glanced helplessly at the two Marauders, a shadow of fear crossing her eyes.

"We bail." James answered after a while. "Sirius said there's danger, and we get out, so we get out."

Just as they arose, there was a shriek of "Morsmordre!" outside, followed by a boom.


	3. 2: Killer Of The Dawn

**Killer of the Dawn**

_I will always recall the time_

_Remember every detail so fine_

_Go over the thoughts and memories_

_Winding through my grief_

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then everything happened at once.

Another resonating bang had the door rocking on its hinges and crashing to the floor. A tall, dark hooded figure outside stepped in, cackling madly.

Amurila and James were had their wands out in a flash. Lily was only a fraction of a second after them. Their worst fears had been realized: Voldemort had managed to bypass the Fidelius Charm.

_Oh no, Peter has failed!_ Amurila wondered miserably what he had done to Peter to gain the information. _All Sirius will find later would be a pile of rubble and four dead bodies._

She wrenched herself back to the present at James's frantic voice. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off –"

James's voice was abruptly cut off as Voldemort pointed his wand at him and sneered, "Silencio."

Lily jumped up and ran towards the nursery, where Harry was currently lying in his cot, where life beckoned. Once she reached the hidden exit there, nothing could get to her. If she could, she would have cheered. _Go, Lily, go!_

At the same time, Amurila realized with a sinking feeling that she had no time to formulate a plan. It was life or death for James and her. All she could do was to restore James's voice and hope for the best.

"You can't do anything," James spluttered the moment her spell touched him, "my other friends would be here in a few seconds." It was a fluke, but they needed to buy time.

"Pettigrew is working for me. And he has revealed that you do not trust the werewolf."

"But Sirius will!" Amurila shouted, trying to shake off the feeling that a bucket of ice had emptied into her stomach. With a sinking feeling, she realized what Sirius had meant in the phone call.

"He would, if he can escape from the ambush at Peter's hideout," Voldemort drawled, almost pleasantly as both of them flinched, "if I may add, this is entirely impossible. Unless, of course, if he can take on ten Death Eaters at the same time."

There was nothing they could do, besides fight for time. She only hopeed Lily has the sense to run without them.

Voldemort suddenly grinned evilly. "Avada –"

"Protego!" James raised a shield immediately, covering both of them.

"Kedevra." The force of the curse crashed into James's shield, causing him to stumble slightly. That stumble was all Voldemort needed.

"Welcome," a ghost of a smile flickered over his face, "to death."

"No!" Amurila yelled, jumping in front of James.

He shoved her aside and muttered so softly she thought it was her imagination. "Get Lily, and save Harry at all costs."

It was the last thing she heard from him.

Amurila saw James's eyes widening in shock, saw in slow motion as his body curved gracefully backwards, finally landing on the floor with a soft thud. His eyes were open and staring blankly into space. She dropped down onto the ground beside him, her brain too numb to comprehend other things.

James was dead. Voldemort killed him. He would kill everyone else in this house too. Oh please, let Lily and Harry be out in time.

She barely registered Voldemort's gleeful voice as he spoke, "Well, maybe I can help to alleviate that pain – by giving you more. Crucio!"

She never had time to dodge. All of a sudden, her body felt as though it was on fire. Pain beyond anything she had experienced shot through her body; white-hot knives were piercing her side… she was screaming louder than she ever had in her whole life. In her confusion, she dimly noticed Voldemort stepping over her as he strode towards the nursery door.

"Diffindo." With that word came blissful peace, as she was freed from that unbearable pain. But with the pain gone, reality came crashing back. Her best friend, James Potter was dead.

_But he asked me to save Harry. I could try to fulfill his last wish._ Amurila struggled up just as Voldemort brushed the remains of the nursery door aside. She leant against the wall as a wave of nausea overcame her. _Merlin, who invented the Cruciatus?_

A cackle of high-pitched laughter brought her back to her senses. Amurila felt her adrenaline pumping through her veins, providing the energy to finish her task. She staggered towards the nursery, but stopped at the sight.

"Nice house." Voldemort commented almost pleasantly. "What a pity it would soon be demolished. Peter certainly failed to report the grandeur here, as well as the unexpected appearance of Amurila Magurall."

"Please, leave Harry alone, I can do anything!" Lily moaned, realizing she had no time to escape.

"Get aside, girl. If you move away now, you actually have a chance of a life – alone."

"Alone?" Lily's eyes widened. "What did you do to James?"

Behind her, Amurila caught her eyes and gave her a sad look. Lily understood immediately.

"No!" she cried, the horror dawning upon her face.

"Yes, and now if you would please move aside," Voldemort leered.

"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything – "

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl – "

"Never!" Lily yelled, determination in her eyes. Amurila tried to dash forward, but the aftereffects of the Cruciatus was still causing disorientation. She crashed into the doorframe and froze, stunned by both the blow and Voldemort's next words.

"You fool of a Mudblood. Avada Kedevra."

She heard a wand swish. A cruel voice commanding the wand to take yet another life in the matter of minutes. A woman's piercing scream and another soft thud. Then, silence. Managing to muster up enough energy, she wobbled into the room. _I failed you, Lily._

Lily was lying on the floor, the hand that had held Harry still shaking slightly from the life that had been in it. The owner of the wand stood watching her with a sneer curled around his lips.

Amurila stood protectively over Harry. She was still shaking with fury and an overwhelming grief. If looks could kill, Voldemort would be dead a thousand times by then. She could not save James. She could not save Lily. But she could _try_ to save Harry.

"Why don't you stand aside as well, girl?" Voldemort suggested with a trace of malice in his voice.

"Maybe later, but not now," Amurila replied. She couldn't care less if she was dead or alive. But James's last wish had to be fulfilled first, and she had a dim idea of how to do that.

A few months ago, Lily had mentioned something reading about an ancient magic using blood of the mother to protect her young, while they were still researching on ways to protect Harry from the prophecy. The only problem was that it had never been tested before, but she was willing to try to. Amurila slid to the floor, feigning shock.

"Why later?" Voldemort purred as Amurila attempted to conceal her movements. She transfigured Lily's wand into a silver dagger, all the while pondering her answer.

"So that James and Lily won't murder me on the other side." That answer came out automatically, as she pricked Lily's wrist, nudging her arm over Harry's forehead. Just a few more seconds ...

"What are you doing, girl?" Voldemort snapped, realising something was wrong.

"Nothing," she lied. A drop of crimson blood fell onto Harry's forehead. Though she could not see it, another precious second passed before it finally disappeared. If the book was correct, tt should be shooting its protection all over Harry's body.

"What are you doing?" Voldemort demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he raised his wand. "Avada – "

Amurila braced herself for that terrifying second before death. But it never came.

"Dying might be too painless for you, though I have never personally believed there are things worse than death. No, I have other plans for meddling fools," Voldemort frowned slightly another evil grin spreading over his face as he muttered something unintelligible.

Amurila tried to move away, but there was no time. She was weak from the Cruciatus, as well as the magic she just performed on Harry. The curse blasted her into an adjoining wall, and she slid to the ground totally disorientated.

She could feel the curse working; she was shrinking rapidly and her body was melting into white feathers. Her eyes enlarged and her arms were pulled into the shape of wings. Her legs grew hard as talons emerged from the end and was covered in scales. She suddenly understood curse he used.

She was a snowy owl, the very same one which was her Animagus form. Oh no, that was not good.

Voldemort laughed, a cruel, cold laugh devoid of any human kindness, "I know what you are thinking, that an hour later, you'll be back to normal. But I have another plan. Enjoy your new life as you watch all your friends die, girl." With that, he pulled out another wand, sticking the first one back into his robes.

"Avada Kedevra!" he cried, believing that he was fulfilling his wildest dreams. However, it was not to be so. Voldemort watched, astounded, as the spell bounced off Harry's forehead.

And shot right at him. His eyes widened and spun on Amurila-the-owl, yelling, "You will never return until I come back!"

Voldemort stood completely still for a moment before he let loose a bloodcurdling scream and burst into flames, sizzling with malevolent power and firing green sparks randomly. The house began to shake violently. Large blocks of stone fell from the ceiling as the room began to cave in around them.

She watched emotionlessly as Voldemort finally disappeared into a puff of smoke. She was exhausted beyond belief, and slumped backward just as the familiar loud bang not unlike a gunshot heralded the arrival of one Sirius Black.


	4. 3: With Grief Comes Determination

**With Grief Comes Determination**

_As the morning sun rises_

_I awake and finally realizes_

_My closest friends are dead_

_And the sky is bathed in red_

_I can't escape, try as I might_

_Blood has been spilt that night_

Sirius jumped off his motorbike and stared at the ruins of what had once been Godric's Hollow. His eyes took in the Dark Mark above the pile of rubble and felt his throat constrict tightly.At least one of them was dead. It must had been too late when he told them to run for it.

A loud clearing of a throat from behind startled him. Spinning around, Sirius raised his wand and a Stunner was just about to leave it when he realised it was only Hagrid. Sirius lowered his wand with a sigh of relief; he had no intention of meeting another Death Eater.

Hagrid studied him for a while, making him rather conscious of the blood congealing on his face and the tired look. Fortunately, he did not comment on the injuries, but instead asked, "So, yeh just arrived 's well?"

"Yes," Sirius whispered, for a moment unable to get his next few words out, "and I think they're all dead."

"James, Lily and Harry? I s'pose so." Hagrid sighed.

"And Ariel as well." Sirius whispered in that same tone.

"Ariel? Why would she be here?" Hagrid asked, but finding Sirius in no state to answer, he led the way into the remains of the house.

It was Sirius who spotted James first. "There!" he shouted, rushing over to his best friend and kneeling down. Hagrid roughly pushed debris aside in his rush to join Sirius at James' side.

Only then did Sirius realise James's hazel eyes were open and staring blankly at the ceiling. Fighting the surge of panic that threatened to overcome him, Sirius checked his breathing and pulse. Nothing.

Sirius half-rose, stunned. He had known they would not be alive, but there was just a tiny glimmer of hope behind his thoughts. Now, that hope was extinguished. He stared unseeingly at his best friend's dead body and tried to make sense of his whirlwind of emotions.

"Noo…!" A piercing scream ripped itself from Sirius's throat. He felt himself tearing apart with grief as tears poured down his face. _Not James. Not James. Please, it's a nightmare. It just can't be real._

Hagrid patted his shoulder consolingly, nearly knocking him flat. He looked pityingly at the sobbing young adult in front of him, and then stood up to find the other occupants of the house.

When Sirius finally raised his tear-stricken face, he noticed that Hagrid had gone into the nursery. Not wanting to miss out on anything, he stepped inside and froze at the sight.

Lily Potter lay half-buried in a pile of rocks which seemed to be part of the wall. One glance at her glassy emerald eyes was enough to show that she, too, was dead. Her eyes spoke clearly of sadness and a fear for her son.

But what really caught his eyes was a movement from the bundle in her arms. He hardly dared to believe what he was seeing as he bent down to find Harry, wrapped in a blanket and blinking up at him. A scar in the shape of a lightning bolt was slashed across his forehead, but Sirius could hardly care less. Harry James Potter – his godson – was alive!

Hagrid stood beside him, smiling slightly. "Well, not everybody's dead."

"I'll take care of him. I'm his godfather." Sirius declared, standing up with his godson wrapped tightly in his arms.

"Eh what?" Hagrid exclaimed. "But I'm takin' him."

"What!" Sirius yelped with such a ferocity that it startled Harry and even causing Hagrid to step back. "No way!"

"Dumbledore's orders. Harry's ter go live with his relatives."

"To blazes with Dumbledore!" Sirius roared. "Haven't he seen those Muggles? They loath magic with all their heart!"

"An order's an order. And it's important too." Hagrid began to get angry as well.

Sirius's temper died as swiftly as it had started. _What would James have thought of me if he was here, actually surrendering my godson to those Muggles?_

He had no choice but to give up. Even then, he was going to do his bit. For Harry. For James. For Lily. And for Amurila.

"Take my motorbike, Hagrid." Sirius sighed. "I won't need it anymore."

For he was going to hunt down Pettigrew. And kill him for what he did.

They walked back outside, into the sunshine, which neither knew nor cared the Potters were dead. Sirius watched Hagrid mount his prized motorbike without emotion. There was a dead, haunted look in his eyes as his beloved motorbike departed. He was beyond feeling, beyond pain. An empty void was in him, gnawing away at his life.

When he finally lost sight of the motorbike, he staggered back to his best friend's side. Watching James's dead body, Sirius collapsed into a sobbing heap, shrieking and moaning. "Why is it James, why not me? Why? That stupid prophecy!"

He did not know who long he had lain there, crying. Time seemed to stop and the whole world froze around him. He wanted nothing better than to drown in his fears and sorrow. _James was dead. Dead. DEAD._

He did not even realise when a small feathered head poked into his hand. Only the familiar feel of an owl jerked him to his senses. He raised his head from James's unmoving body a second time and spared the bird a glance.

A beautiful snowy white owl met his startled gaze. "Skye?" Sirius asked, hardly daring to believe his eyes. In light of recent events, he had completely forgotten about Amurila. And there she was, in front of him, very much alive. "Come on! Change back! What are you doing in your Animagus form?" Sirius inquired.

The owl shook its head, almost sadly. That action alone convinced Sirius that she was indeed, Amurila in her Animagus form. "Why not?" he questioned. _Voldemort was dead, or at least gone, isn't he?_ He knew it the moment he saw Harry alive, because of that stupid prophecy.

For an answer, Skye hopped over and gently took his wand in her beak. She scrawled two words that caused a chill to run up Sirius's spine. "Shapeshifter Curse."

The Shapeshifter Curse. Sirius remembered it only too well. His dear cousin, Bellatrix, had cast the curse on Lily – at her wedding. The Marauders barely escaped, with James holding a large swan – Lily – for a whole hour.

The spell turned the victim into the animal most like them, just like an Animagus form. There was no known counter-spell, but it would wear off after an hour, if the castor used the wand again. Bellatrix could never stop doing magic, so Lily was spared the horror after a long hour.

"It's ok, the spell will wear off in an hour. Didn't you know that?" Sirius told Skye cheerfully. She hooted impatiently and tapped his wand with her beak.

The wand…there was something to do with the wand…"But wait! Voldemort's gone! He can't use that wand an hour later! Does it mean," Sirius lowered his voice, "that you'll stay an owl forever?"

Skye moved her wings up and down in an attempt at a shrugging manner. She picked up his wand again. "Dunno…no…lose…hope…Peter…die."

Peter. Die. The last two words struck Sirius as he stood up. The haunted look appeared back in his eyes. Permanently. He finally had another goal in life. He was going to hunt down Pettigrew. Betrayer of the trust the Marauders placed in him. Peter was going to pay dearly.

"Amurila, I solemnly swear as a true Marauder, that as long as I have another breath in this body, I will track down that bloody traitor of a rat and see that he is eliminated." Sirius promised, a cold edge to his voice.

They departed from Godric's Hollow, a man with one sole purpose in the world, and a snowy white owl flitting ghostly through the trees above him.

**Author's note: Skye refers to the owl, Amurila the human. There are no typing mistakes whereby one name is mistaken for the other. As owls do not have emotions, all emotions belong to the human side of her. Think of it as split personality.**


	5. 4: An Unexpected Twist Of Events

**An Unexpected Twist Of Events**

_The seeds of discord are sown_

_And the world is upside-down_

_An innocent man is convicted_

_For a crime he never committed_

_While the traitor is free_

_To do as he please_

_If only I'm myself again_

_I promise I'll see justice lain_

Amurila, as Skye, flew noiselessly above Sirius's head. He continuously glanced up to assure himself that she was there. Ariel could hardly blame him for being so jumpy and in need of reliable company. After all, his whole world had just collapsed around him.

She remembered the determination in his eyes as he stood up beside James. Some part of her knew, deep inside, that he felt even worse than she did for his best friend. Owls, after all, do not experience feelings, unlike humans. Even owls with a human brain.

They hunted for Peter Pettigrew, having just an inkling of where he might be. And they found him right there, in the middle of a busy road in the heart of Muggle London. He was scurrying along with his head bowed down, while the pair of tiny rat-like eyes darted around, seeking escape should danger suddenly appear. And it did, in the form of his furious former best friends.

With a low growl in his throat, Sirius slipped into the crowd. He tailed Peter, who did not see him until there was a tap on his shoulder. Spinning around with the speed of lightning, Peter gasped.

"I've found you at last," Sirius hissed with such venom in his voice that Peter shrunk away from him. The hollow, haunted look scared him more than anything else.

"Sirius … … how nice to see you again," Peter squeaked, his eyes darting faster.

"Why, you traitorous little rat – " Sirius made a grab for Peter but he dodged and ran off at full speed, Sirius hot on his heels.

Skye tried to help, but her orders were to stay aside so as not to reveal herself. At that moment, she sincerely wished he got the Dementor's Kiss.

Peter suddenly stopped in front of a store and twisted around. Skye landed on the roof of the store, while Sirius skidded to a halt in front of Peter. Evidently, the traitor had a plan in mind.

True enough, "Sirius, how could you do this?" his yell could be heard throughout the street, attracting the Muggles' attention. A few of them began to make their way over.

"What?" Sirius could not believe his ears, "Do what?"

"James, Lily, and Ariel, Sirius! How could you?" Peter appeared to try his absolute best at sounding hysterical.

Sirius let out a soft growl, like the bear-sized dog his Animagus was, "You evil little rat." He went for his wand, but Peter was faster at that, pulling his wand out with a flourish.

"Don't duel with me, Black. I know Dark Magic." Peter muttered softly. He only intended Sirius to hear that, but keen owl hearing caught his words too.

To both Skye and Peter's surprise, Sirius began to laugh maniacally, "And you forget who I am? The House of Black teaches its children Dark Magic since the age of five!"

Peter swore under his breath. He looked momentarily confused. Suddenly pointing his wand at Sirius, he whispered, "Avada Kedevra."

As with all Unforgivable Curses used by those who did not enjoy it enough, the Killing Curse did not work. Sirius jumped back instinctively as the ground before him exploded. He continued his mad laughter, muttering out of the corner of his mouth, "There's a witness above you, Wormtail."

Glancing upwards, Peter recoiled in horror as he saw a familiar white owl perched on the roof. Stooping down, he snatched up a piece of shrapnel and sliced off the middle finger of his left hand. Dropping the finger with a scream of pain, he transformed and dove into the yawning hole created by his ineffective spell.

Skye assessed the scene from her vantage point. Chaos and confusion reigned all around the huge crater of destruction. Muggles were screaming and crying. She counted the dead Muggles. Twelve grotesque bodies laid scattered around, some with body parts flung aside. Another reason to prosecute Peter. She glanced down and was just in time to see a rat disappearing down the sewers.

Her blood boiled as she swooped down in a blur of feathers after the traitorous rat. Unfortunately, she was a bit slow. The last thing she saw was the tail of a rat whipping down a broken sewer pipe. She started to shove debris aside with her beak, trying to follow him, all the while using the foulest words she could think of to curse him in her mind. The traitorous rat!

Only the sound of new arrivals stopped her. Zooming up again, Skye watched as a Hit squad from the Ministry of Magic piled out of a car, which had somehow ended up beside the crater. Some started questioning the hysterical Muggles, while others moved forward cautiously to form a semicircle around Sirius.

To her utter shock, Sirius was still laughing maniacally. But what was strangest was that his laugh had lost the dog-like quality. Instead, it sounded more like… like…

Like Voldemort the day he killed the Potters. A cold, hysterical laugh, though much lower, but still unmistakably like Voldemort's.

_What ARE you doing?_ She screamed over and over again inside her head, willing him to somehow hear her and shut up.

An answer tried to force its way into her muddled brain. He was in shock and he could not make sense. He was just someone suffering from the after effects of being accused as a murderer by his former best friend. Who had escaped, and James and Lily would never be avenged.

But then a voice penetrated her head. An Auror was speaking.

"Sirius Black," a young man declared clearly, his words sending her last hope up in smoke, "you are arrested for being a Death Eater and the brutal slaughter of one wizard and twelve Muggles."


	6. 5: Acceptance Of The Dead

**Acceptance Of The Dead**

_We must learn to accept,_

_The dead normally cannot be reborn._

_The wizards have to learn the concept,_

_That the future may sometimes be forlorn._

A gust of strong wind nearly blew Skye off her perch in the tree, and she struggled to hold on. Why she was there, even she had partially forgotten. Just a week as an owl had totally exhausted her.

First it was the food. Owls usually eat frogs and rats. But not humans. She had to force the slimy creatures _alive_ down her own throat, while wondering if she would ever find Peter-the-rat again. She could not bear the taste of them – who could? But in order to stay alive, she had to.

By pretending every one of them was Peter.

Next was the method of travel. Flying. Before then, she only flew for emergency purposes or under the full moon. Now, it was all the time. Her wing muscles were tired and used. And worst of all, she could no longer pull out her wand and use it.

For the first time in many years, Amurila was alone. No one was left to help her. James was dead. Lily was dead. Sirius was as good as dead. Peter – _Wormtail_ – was a traitor. And Remus, Remus thought she was dead, like the rest of the wizarding world. When he was sent to Azkaban, Sirius let slip the fact that she was at Godric's Hollow when Voldemort attacked. Naturally, she was pronounced dead.

She missed her wand. She missed food fit for human consumption. She missed James. She missed Lily. She missed Sirius. She missed Remus. she missed everybody. But most of all, she missed her life. What would she not give to have herself back again?

And that was why she was perching on a tree on that stormy day, in danger of falling any second. To feel herself back in the wizarding world. To see a ray of hope in her bleak situation. Even though there was nothing cheerful about where she was. At the joint funeral of James, Lily, Peter. And herself.

She was attending her own funeral.

The caskets were brought out. James and Lily looked so peaceful, as though they were merely in a deep sleep. It broke Amurila's heart to see them like that, leaving behind their son parentless in his cruel relatives' home. But since she was not human, Skye could only sob mentally.

The guests started to trickle in. Among them, Skye spotted Peter's mother, wailing gently into a handkerchief. She felt a pang of sympathy for the poor woman, thinking that her own son, a Death Eater who faked his own death, was dead. The entire Order, at least those who were still alive, turned up. Among those thronging in, Remus Lupin plodded in.

Studying Remus carefully, Skye noticed fresh bruises on him, and dark shadows under his eyes. A shocking fact surfaced in her's mind as her keen eyes noticed all the injuries. It had been the full moon yesterday. And he could manage to attend the funeral today. _How could I ever have thought he was the spy for Voldemort?_

But another sight caught her eye. Two one-year-old boys were sitting side by side on a twin-seater stroller. One was rather obese, while the other – _Harry_ – looked scrawny and underfed. And the couple pushing the stroller were the Dursleys She recognised Petunia, looking like a horse as always.

As Skye continued watching, astonished that they would actually turn up for the funeral, the fatter boy began shoving Harry. Evidently, he did not have enough space, due to his large size. Poor Harry was squeezed to one side, and when he retaliated, the man spoke up, "Harry, don't push Dudley. You have enough space."

_Enough space? He's squashed!_ Skye bristled indignantly, ruffling her feathers. The injustice of the Dursleys proved even more that Harry should not be sent to their home. _Why couldn't Remus take him? _And the answer came back to her in another flash of anger._ Because he's a werewolf._

The service continued around them, but Skye was in no mood to listen. She simply watched Harry throughout most of it. It was a pity Remus did not see Harry, or he would definitely have done something about it.

"… and we will remember them forever," the priest ended his speech and the coffins were lowered into the graves. Amurila breathed a sigh of relief. The monotonous tone had bored her like a long History of Magic lesson, and she was happy to get it over with.

The guests began filing down the aisles to the tombstones to pay their respects and take their leave. She wanted to go when everyone had gone. An owl acting like a human would be a dead giveaway – and she needed to be free to surveillance the area.

She was taking James's last words to heart, "Keep Harry safe." Remus, possibly unconsciously following her thinking, purposely waited to be the last.

Placing a white lily – the flower of death – upon James's coffin, Remus whispered, "Rest in peace, my friend, knowing you are avenged. I love you more than a best friend; you have been like a brother to me. Farewell."

"Lily, the flower of your namesake now rests upon you. May you rest in peace like James. I love you too, my sister. Farewell."

"Peter, even though you were always the slightly weaker boy in the Marauders, you stayed true towards us. Despite your outward appearance, you were brave enough to go after that spy, Black. And for that, I love you too. Farewell."

It was the last coffin. Skye had no need to strain her ears; her keen owl hearing could catch all of his words. She needed that, words of remembrance from one of her best friends, to survive the years that lay ahead.

"Amurila, you were the only girl in the original Marauders. Of course, when Lily was accepted, that was another matter. But from the moment I met you on the Hogwarts Express that day, I knew you were someone special. Just by the fact you were willing to help me in my times of need, I love you too. Farewell."

By then, all the other guests had gone. The tombstones were littered with white lilies. A swift gust of wind blew most of them down the hill. Watching the tokens of remembrance rolling down the slope, tears started welling up in Remus's eyes. He wiped them away quickly, more as a force of habit than an impatience for the sign of weakness.

If owls could cry, Skye would be howling with tears by then. But they could not. With a jab of his wand, Remus placed Permanent Sticking Charms on all of his flowers. The ghostly howl of the wind sounded as black clouds started gathering. A storm was approaching.

Skye fluttered down from her perch as the first raindrops fell. She landed on the graves of James and Lily in turn, silently delivering her message to them. Behind her, she could feel Remus's startled gaze on her.

"It can't be…" he mused, finally breaking the silence. A flash of lightning and clap of thunder accompanied his words.

_Yes it can, Moony._

"No. you're just a snowy owl that looks like Skye. Ariel's dead. And nothing can reawaken the dead," Remus spoke, more to convince himself than to answer the owl's unspoken words.

Skye's steely stare unnerved him so much that he turned away, the rain splashing on his face. Both of them were getting soaked, but neither cared. "Farewell, my friends," Remus whispered before Disapparating with a 'pop', partially covered by the sound of rain. And with that 'pop', Skye's last hope of being recognised vanished like a bubble popping in the air.

_You accept the dead, Remus. Will you accept the living?_


	7. 6: Memories

**Memories**

_The long-past events flash past me_

_All memorable, stored away to be_

_My memories, more precious than water_

_When they're gone, nothing'll come back later_

Since the funeral, Skye was just another snowy owl haunting the night skies of Britain. She no longer held any hope of being recognized. James was dead. Lily was dead. Sirius was locked up in Azkaban without trial. Skye recalled vividly the day she took a peek at a discarded copy of the Daily Prophet.

The headlines on the cover froze her blood: Voldemort's right hand in Azkaban for life. She had been so sure that Sirius would not be found guilty, so sure that he would be cleared. After all, he did not have the Dark Mark! That hope died.

Peter – Wormtail the rat – was a traitor. The traitor. He gave away James and Lily. He was the reason they were now lying in a graveyard. The one beside Godric's Hollow. And Remus, Remus did not accept her as alive.

The days alone took their toll on Amurila. She was losing her humanity. Some days she did not know who she was. Other days she did, but it made no difference. Skye was still an owl, still ate frogs and rats, still flew more than walked. Still was forgotten by the wizarding world in general.

One night, as Skye flew in search of her next meal, a sound startled her. It was two years since she became an owl, and time had already stored Amurila away. But the sound she heard, it stirred the memories in their depth. It was the howl of a werewolf.

_How did I know that?_ She wondered briefly. the answer coming to her like lightning streaking across the sky. _Because I've heard it so many times before, when Remus howled at the moon._

Remus. Remus Lupin. One of her best friends. And it all came flooding back to her in one startling clarity. She was not Skye the owl. She was a human. A human named Amurila Magurall.

Glancing around. She registered with another shock that she was in the woods right beside Remus's cottage. So it was his howl she had heard. The full moon hung overhead like a crystal ball, illuminating a dark shadow slipping through the trees. Making up her mind in an instant, Skye swooped down.

For the first time in more than two years, Remus Lupin did not wake up exhausted and covered in his own scratches.

For the first time, too, in that amount of time, Amurila Magurall remembered snatches of her past.

_First year holidays, on the Hogwarts Express back to King's Cross:_

James opened his mouth slowly, "Remus – "

The boy – the young werewolf – turned. "Yes?" he sounded almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You're a werewolf, right?" Sirius jumped in bluntly, cutting straight to the point.

Remus froze. Four pairs of eyes were on him. Waiting, holding their breaths, for his answer. "I … yes."

Ariel swallowed. They had known, had known he would say yes, but there was always a part of tem that wished they were mistaken. That Remus's mother really was sick during every full moon. _But that would make her a werewolf…_

"So," they all stared at Remus, who looked down and continued, "I guess I'd better go find another compartment then." He stood up.

And a pair of strong hands pushed him down again. "Remus, what for?" Sirius stared at him, looking slightly surprised.

"Doesn't … doesn't it frighten you that I'm a werewolf?" Remus asked, shocked. No one, besides his parents and the Hogwarts staff, had ever stayed closer to him than was necessary, when they found out he had the affliction.

Sirius gave a short, bark-like laugh, "Well, seeing where I was born, in the _noble House of Black_, I can hardly be judging you."

James snorted quietly, "Remus, my parents aren't prejudiced. And neither am I."

Ariel could see the hope shining in the boy's amber eyes as she spoke, "Don't worry. If there's someone who doesn't loath werewolves, that'll be me."

Everyone turned expectant eyes on Peter. "Er … I think I can live with that. After all, what are friends for?" he squeaked.

James clapped him on the back, "Well said, Peter. Spoken like a true Griffindor and friend!" Peter flushed with pleasure.

A true smile broke Remus's face. He had expected them to abandon him. But they did not, and that was the important thing.

_Fifth year, Christmas holidays_

"All staying?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at their remarkable behaviour.

"All staying," Remus affirmed, "and no, Professor, we aren't planning to blow Hogwarts up or anything."

"I'm glad to hear that," was the reply as the Marauders grinned at each other.

That night, the five met up in the fifth year boys' dormitory again, like so many nights before that. To try and become Animagi. No matter how illegal it was.

James, Sirius and Ariel could all do it. But not Peter – yet. James was a magnificent reddish-brown stag. Sirius was a huge black dog not unlike the Grim. Ariel was a snowy white owl. And Peter was supposed to be a small little rat.

"Concentrate, Peter," Sirius sighed.

"I'm … trying," Peter's eyes were tightly shut and his hands clenched.

"You've got to relax," Ariel spoke up. She placed her hands on his shoulders and felt the muscles loosen up.

"Think about the rat," Remus advised, "imagine you are it. Block everything else out."

Peter must have did, because within minutes, a small grey rat stood in front of them.

"Silencio!" James called over the cheering, pointing his wand at the dormitory door. They certainly did not want to wake the whole House up.

When Peter turned back, everyone clapped him on the back. After all, his worst subject was Transfiguration, but yet he managed an advanced piece of Transfiguration. "Imagine McGonagall's face if we told her that Peter's an Animagi!" Sirius's words earned laughs from everyone.

Remus would never be alone on full moon nights again.

The sun rose just as Skye left Remus. The wall that had once separated her from her memories was demolished. All night long, she was flooded with them. Some were sweet, some were bitter, but all reminded her of the person she was.

As Skye settled down to wait eight long years, when Harry would go to Hogwarts, she knew that she would never forget herself again. Thanks to her memories.


	8. 7: The Wait Is Over

**The Wait Is Over**

_Time and again, patience is tested_

_Sly is the rat that slithers through the sewers_

_But the wait is worth it_

_Worth all ten years of it_

_If but just to see_

_The traitor behind bars_

_And the darkness vanquished_

_Once and for all_

Skye caught an upward draft and soared ghostly above the treetops. Two months before Harry's 11th birthday. Four months before the Hogwarts Express would leave. Her destination was Number 4, Privet Drive. But this time, it was not a social visit. She was on a mission. The letter in her beak bore the crest of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her mind flew back to that day, less than a fortnight ago.

Skye slipped through the magical barrier separating the school from the Muggle world. She was finally here. Watching Harry being tortured by those Muggle filth was more than she could bear, and she was relieved to get away from them. Into the Owlery she flew, and rested there to wait for her chance.

A few days later, "Would you be so kind as to address these letters, Minerva?" Dumbledore's kind voice filled the room with warmth. Skye wanted to cry, to scream, to alert him about her. But she did not. Whatever she did, nothing would change the fact that she was an owl. Through and through. Even Remus did not believe her, how could Dumbledore?

"Abbot, Hannah." The list started. And continued on. "Granger, Hermione."

And finally, "Harry Potter." Skye peered down with bated breath as Minerva slowly inscribed 'Number 4, Privet Drive, the cupboard under the stairs' on the letter. A glance up, and Skye swiftly landed on her shoulder before any other owl could do so.

"Eager, aren't you?" Minerva commented lightly as she attached the letter to her leg, totally unaware that she was not an owl. _As if you'd know._

Diving down, Skye dropped the letter through the letterbox of the Dursleys.

It was the most magnificent parade of owls Britain, or indeed the whole world, has ever seen. Unless you count the swarm of owls right after Voldemort's downfall, of course, but they were sent by many different people. Just watching them would make anyone's heart burst with pride, or so Skye thought as she led the pack of owls to Number 4, Privet Drive. And why was she given the privilege of being the leader? Because she knew the way.

They settled upon the roofs and trees like a multi-coloured blanket. Barn owls, eagle owls, snowy owls like herself … each with a letter in its beak. For the enrolment of one Harry Potter, Hogwarts sent out all the school owls. It was truly an amazing sight.

Voices floated out of the living room window. "Today is Sunday. Anyone can guess why I like Sundays, Dudley?"

Instead of Dudley, Harry's voice sounded. Skye's heart skipped a beat. _That poor boy's still alive, after all the Dursleys did to him, I'm shocked that they didn't kill him._ "Because there are no letters on Sundays, Uncle Vernon."

Taking a risk, Skye fluttered onto the grass, peeking through the curtains as she did so. Harry's head was turned towards the window at that moment. Catching sight of her, he slipped towards the window and lifted one edge of the curtains. In the background, Vernon Dursley droned on about "No ruddy owls today!" Through the glass pane, Skye heard the comment and saw Harry suppress a grin.

As Harry turned away, Skye soared up to the roof. Time to make that Dursley eat his words. Perhaps literally. She deposited her letter with a swoosh down the chimney.

The shrieks of Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley lightened her heart considerably.

Hagrid pounded on the door of the shack, which all but looked habitable for humans. At the same moment, Skye took flight from the safety of the trees beyond the sea. Her plan had been formed a day ago, when the Dursleys rudely dragged Harry out of their house to avoid the pack of owls and their letters in their useless bid to "stamp the magic out" of Harry, as Petunia put it.

Nicking stacks of parchment, a quill and a few bottles of ink from an unsuspecting wizarding household, she spent long and laborious hours trying to write a letter. _Owls should have scribes as well_, she thought moodily as yet another stack of parchment was covered with useless scribbles vaguely resembling human handwriting.

To her surprise, however, Skye managed to get a badly done version of what could probably be called a scrawl within just one day of hard work. Satisfied that her letter would at least look legible, she mentally heaved a sigh of relief, before beginning her letter.

Dear Mr Edwards

A friend of mine requested that I send this owl to you in order that he receives it anonymously. A representative will come to get her. Please sell this owl to a giant named Hagrid, who would visit your shop by the 1st of August. Thank you and the money from the sale would be yours to keep.

Now that the letter was done, it was rolled up into an official-looking bundle, ready for the post.

Mr Edwards glanced up at her once after reading the letter. "Well, I'll do my best." Those few words sent a glimmer of hope into her heart. Opening the door of a spacious cage, he shooed her inside, Skye fluffing up her feathers in indignation.

"'Allo ter yeh!" Hagrid's booming voice was like a bucket of cold water on the head, jerking Skye awake immediately.

The wait was over.


	9. 8: Finally Home

**Finally Home**

_Whenever I am feeling low_

_I think about it and I know_

_That's the place that will stay within me_

_Wherever I am in the world_

"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat declared to loud cheers and even catcalls from the table. Skye adjusted herself on her precarious perch on the window ledge as her heart swelled with pride. For one terrible moment back there, she was sure the hat was going to sort Harry into another house. Whether he knew it or not, Harry Potter was indeed the son of the Marauders. She hoped that James, Lily were watching this wherever they were.

As Dumbledore dismissed the bloated students with a wave of his hand, Skye sighed mentally in relief. The inviting aroma of the food wafted all the way up to where she was, almost forcing her off her balance. If only she could swoop down and snatch some of that delicious-looking steak! Or anything on that table. Her stomach growled loudly as she recalled her last meal was the day before.

The Owlery was still the same as she had remembered, countless owls of all shades and colours perched on various rafters, high above the heads of the students who came to send a letter. Barn owls, eagle owls – snowy owls! Pleased to see a few more of her own species, Skye soared over to them to be less conspicious. With a few hoots of hello she was accepted into the group. Apparently, they were discussing the different places to catch the best food.

Skye kept half her attention on their discussion, while surreptitiously glancing around to see what the other owls were doing. If she wanted to pass off as an owl, it was the perfect time to polish up her imitation skills. Even if that meant eating rats and frogs. _Anything for Harry_, she sighed in reminder to herself. But still … if it was possible to sneak down to the kitchens …

She would have slapped herself if she could. Of course, during morning deliveries owls were allowed into the Great Hall to take a bite of their owners' breakfasts! Visions of succulent bacon and ham floated in her mind as her stomach protested again. Noticing that the discussion ended, she followed the other owls out of the Owlery to find some food.

Rats may be disgusting, mused Skye as she closed her eyes while swallowing a dead one whole, but it was better than an empty stomach. And plus, maybe it would be Peter.

Thoughts of him brought back her disbelief at seeing a small grey rat in the possession of Harry's schoolmate Ron Weasley earlier. It had been Peter. He was at Hogwarts.

She needed to get Sirius out of Azkaban as soon as she could. She only wished she knew how.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Skye grinned inwardly as Madam Hooch's voice floated up to her advantage point. She gazed affectionately down at Harry, one among the group of first-years having their first flying lesson. To her displeasure, however, Gryffindor was learning with Slytherin.

Her smirk widened when the broom zoomed into her godson's hand at a word from him. Harry was no doubt going to be a natural flyer like his father. Skye briefly wondered if he would be a seeker too.

Lost in her thoughts, Skye missed someone rising into the air. Only the screams and shouts from below alerted her to the presence of someone shooting up. She blinked in owl fashion at the spectacle, just as he slipped sideways and fell.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing!" she heard Madam Hooch tell the students, leading him off the pitch.

She got quite a clear view of him as he rose twenty feet into the air, and could not help but notice his round face. He reminded her of Alice McKinnon – should be Longbottom now. So was that Neville Longbottom? Frank should be quite disappointed, he liked flying.

Suddenly, the chatter below stopped. What now? Skye glanced down and was startled to find Harry talking to Draco Malfoy, of all people.

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, with Malfoy taking off on his broom, something clutched in his hand. Skye squinted against the glaring sun. It was a Remembrall. Assuming it was Neville's, why would he need it? His parents certainly did not have any memory problems.

Harry mounted his broom and kicked off. He pulled his broom up a little higher. The screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from his friend Ron travelled up with it. To Skye's amusement, Malfoy actually looked worried and stunned.

Harry shot forward on the broom like a javelin, barely missing Malfoy. People down there were clapping, and Skye's heart was in her mouth. If he fell … besides, he was disobeying a direct order from Madam Hooch.

"Catch it if you can, then!" Malfoy shouted, throwing the glass ball high into the air.

Skye watched, a mixture of pride at his courage and anxiety at his well-being, as the ball rise up and fell, Harry streaking after it. A foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently on to the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Oh dear.

"Never – in all my time at Hogwarts – how dare you – might have broken your neck – " Skye took a little time to appreciate a speechless Professor McGonagall, before realising the full impact of what Madam Hooch had said. The one to get on a broom would be expelled.

Seeing Professor McGonagall take Harry off, Skye immediately followed, peering through the windows, seeing her stride in front with a poor dejected-looking Harry behind.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" Professor McGonagall poked her head within a classroom.

Wood? Surely not the son of the Gryffindor Quidditch captain when the Marauders were in their third year? Skye's suspicions were quickly proved right when a burly fifth-year boy came out of the classroom, looking confused. "Follow me, you two," Professor McGonagall commanded.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood – I've found you a Seeker." A WHAT? Skye's first thought was that. And the second was, James would be so proud.

"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive. Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it." Hearing Professor McGonagall praise Harry's abilities confirmed that her hearing was not impaired, as the owl blinked in rapid succession.

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule," continued Professor McGonagall as Skye grinned mentally, forcing herself not to cartwheel in midair in glee.

How could she ever thought she could miss his first flying lesson?

The first thought that entered Skye's head was that it was impossible. Had she really just heard the roar of a fully-grown mountain bull troll? Gliding to the window closest the commotion, she poked a head in. Sadly, her sensitive ears were not mistaken as all her senses were assaulted with TROLL.

Preparing to escape from the stench, she almost missed a fleeting movement behind some statues. Skye gaped in astonishment as Harry and Ron darted out from their hiding place, sprinting to the door and locking it behind the troll. They had nerve, she had to give them that.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off by a high, petrified scream, followed by a chorus of "Hermione!" from the two boys. She stared in shock as Harry turned the key, fumbling in panic, and dashing inside. She advanced to the window in the toilet.

A girl – Hermione, she thought – was shrinking against the wall opposite the advancing troll. As she watched in near horror, wondering if she should fetch a teacher, when Harry and Ron both started yelling at it, throwing things around. She had to admit, pea-brain was a pretty good description of a troll, but they had to be crazy.

Even James would not have done that, Skye reflected wryly, for someone he did not like.

Harry leapt onto the troll, nearly causing Skye to fall off the window sill. It was brave, yes, but so incredibly stupid!

"Wingardium Leviosa!" she heard Ron cry the spell, saw the club fly into the air and with a loud crack onto the troll's head. Blinking again, she saw three alive teenagers and one unconscious troll.

It was highly unusual for two eleven-year-olds to take out a troll barely two months into their studies, Skye reflected.

Oh Merlin, that boy was going to be the death of her.


	10. 9: The Philosopher's Stone

**Author's Note: This story has been rewritten, including parts of the plot. It would be very much appreciated if you could reread it, as you may be confused later on. This story is Pre-HBP and seventh book, but major plot elements would be included – hence MINOR CHANGES. Merry Christmas and a Happy (Harry) New Year!**

**The Philosopher's Stone**

_The next greatest adventure draws near for some_

_Others with knowledge are desperate to keep mum_

Snow fell in a light blanket, covering the mountain tops. Skye soared higher, enjoying the sense of freedom, and basically tranquility that surrounded the school castle.

Christmas.

She had just delivered a small parcel to Harry from the Dursleys, containing his birthday present. Watching him open it, she smiled inwardly to herself to see a fifty-pence coin taped to the letter.

For the first time she could remember, which was about ten years, Harry got presents. And not just one, a small pile. She could understand his exclamation of "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!", but Ron did not.

_Molly seemed to be quite nice to Harry._ Skye was surprised that she knitted Harry a jumper and enclosed a large box of fudge, all home-made. _It was very nice of her to do so, considering she had only met him once._

Rubeus Hagrid had give Harry a flute, Hermione some Chocolate Frogs. That left one last parcel. Her heart suddenly jumped into her throat when a silvery item slid onto the floor. She recognised it immediately.

James's Invisibility Cloak.

_He said he gave it to Dumbledore for safekeeping_, Skye remembered.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A very merry Christmas to you." Harry read the accompanying letter aloud, making her heart twinge again. James was dead. The reason why she was stuck on a windowsill outside Harry's dormitory, the reason why there were no Marauder presents for Harry, the reason why James could not give Harry the cloak himself.

The reason why they crumbled into pieces, forgotten by most.

Skye shot Ron's pet rat a dark look at those thoughts. If only she could grab him! There had to be some way of telling someone that Peter Pettigrew was in Hogwarts. She saw him the moment he sneaked around the sweets on the train compartment, and recognition was immediate.

Only Sirius knew she and Pettigrew was alive. But how would she get a message to him in Azkaban? She could try to fly in, but how would she get any letter in, or for that matter, steal Harry's parchment, quill and ink? Too difficult. She could not risk leaving Harry alone with that murderer, for another matter.

Skye could hear the thundering footsteps on the staircase before she even saw the owner. Blinking owlishly – it seemed to become a sort of habit after ten years, along with eating very NOT delicious dishes like rats and frogs, she cocked her head to one side.

She did not have long to wait. Hermione Granger burst into the Owlery, a letter clutched in her hand.

"Get this to Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. As soon as you can. Please?" she panted, holding it out.

Skye stuck out her leg obediently. Dumbledore? Surely he was in Hogwarts? But if he was not there, why would Hermione be so worried?

Then it hit her. Hermione became one of Harry's best friends after the incident with the mountain troll. The trio was nearly inseparable. So if she was in such a hurry, did it mean something happened to Harry?

Hermione fumbled a while with the knot, finally securing the letter. "Ministry of Magic. Go!" she almost screamed. Whatever it was bothering her, it was bad.

Skye took off into the night. The last thing she heard was Hermione's mutterings, carried to her by the wind. "Don't let him be dead. Please, let Dumbledore arrive in time."

She tried. She really tried. But Dumbledore was nowhere to be found. She hunted for him near the Ministry of Magic first, according to Hermione. Then she looked for his tall figure in Hogsmeade, in Diagon Alley, even as much to venture above Knockturn Alley. Shivering at the thought of the old hag who wished to make her into owl soup, Skye continued her fruitless search.

Disheartened and wishing to know what happened to Harry, Skye returned to Hogwarts a whole day later. The first thing she did was to poke her head outside the Hospital Wing. Bingo.

Harry Potter lay on one of the beds, seemingly asleep. She could have sighed in relief. Stationing herself in a dark corner, Skye waited for him to wake.

"Good afternoon Harry," the voice of Professor Dumbledore jerked her into consciousness. So he did get here!

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" Harry seemed to have the same opinion.

"We must have crossed in mid-air." _I bet we did._ "No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you – " Professor Dumbledore's explanation finally quietened her nerves.

So why did Harry get injured? Skye shivered again as the headmaster explained to Harry how he could have died saving a certain Philosopher's Stone. Apparently it was the source of the Elixir of Life, which Voldemort was using to attempt a return.

"Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me … things I want to know the truth about …" _Don't we all?_

"But why would he want to kill me in the first place?" Skye froze. Would he answer? Would he tell Harry about the prophecy? Harry at least deserved something akin to a childhood first, before being dragged into a war.

As if echoing her thoughts, Professor Dumbledore refused to answer the question gently.

Reflecting on the past year, Skye suddenly remembered something that took place the night of the Welcome Feast. Eager to see Harry's dormitory, she had slipped through the open window, and came face to face with Harry himself.

The soft snores of his roommates – four, she counted – apparently was not enough to lure him to sleep, for he stared pensively out of the open window. Out at what, she did not know, but most likely thinking about how lucky he was to have gotten away from the Dursleys.

Seeing her, he jumped to his feet, startled. She settled down opposite him, which he took as a cue to sit down again, stroking a hand through her feathers as he did so. Skye tilted her head better to enjoy it, enjoy the feeling of something no one ever did to her because anyone who got close enough to touch her knew she was an Animagus, and stroking was obviously out of the question.

Seeing Harry draw his knees up to his chest in a protective gesture and watching him think, Skye thought then that everything would be fine until Voldemort returned.

How wrong she was.


	11. 10: Twelve Troubles

**Twelve Troubles**

Skye could not believe her eyes. Or her ears for that matter. An old Ford Angelia rumbling pleasantly outside Harry's barred window; three Weasleys grinning into the room. She was glad Harry had found a friend who at least was something like Sirius to James.

Except that James did not dare to rescue Sirius from his family, but with the Dursleys as Muggles, Ron was quite safe in their inability to do any magic. She gave the owl equivalent of cackling madly at the Dursleys' horrified expression.

~*~*~*~*~*

There was something wrong with the barrier. Trying to act more like an owl, Skye ruffled her feathers, hooting indignantly. She heard snatches of a conversation about cruelty to animals, which only served to irritate her further. Why were they shut out?

It was time. The train left. At that moment Ron had a mad idea of flying a car to Hogwarts. Flying. A car. Broomsticks she could understand, but a car? Talk about madness. It was no wonder, then, she left in a huff to the Owlery when the car smashed itself down in the grounds of Hogwarts, thinking about the different ways her godson could try to get himself killed.

~*~*~*~*~*

Gilderoy Lockhart? The Lockhart that was a few years younger than them, and in Hufflepuff no less? She did not have anything against them, but the Hat was supposed to sort people according to their personalities, and courage would never enter her mind in association with a Gilderoy Lockhart, the biggest player in Hogwarts.

_But then_, she reminded herself, _Peter was in Gryffindor with a distinct lack of courage._ Perhaps Lockhart was like Wormtail. Surreptitiously reading _Wandering with Werewolves_ over Harry's shoulder, she doubted he knew very much of them. For one, anyone acquainted with a werewolf would vehemently deny the rumour that their frail appearance suggested fragility.

Remus could toss Sirius across the room without batting an eyelash when they were sixteen.

Then why in the world did Dumbledore appoint him as Defence against the Dark Arts teacher? Judging by his side notes and obvious self-flattery, it proved that he at least did not do some of what he claimed.

~*~*~*~*~*

Blood boiling, Skye watched from afar as Draco Malfoy yelled, "Mudblood!" at Hermione. How dared he? Ron's reaction did not come as a surprise to her, though she wished he had grabbed Hermione or Harry's wand. It would have had been a truly awesome sight to see Lucy Malfoy's son literally eat slugs. Poor Ron.

When she got her voice back, she would tell the trio all about the Marauders' nicknames for the Slytherins. Lucius Malfoy, or Lucy in particular was infuriated that they had take to singing "Lucy and Cissy, sitting in a tree," in their seventh year due to sheer boredom and examination nerves. 'Draco Wacko' might be sufficient torture for his son, though a feminine name would be much better.

~*~*~*~*~*

The Chamber of Secrets, a legend she had always believed to be concocted to scare first-years, had suddenly turned into a frightening reality. Skye would have shivered if she was capable of that action, but instead settled for blinking rapidly. She really was becoming addicted to that action; it expressed so many feelings adequately. The message was written in blood.

On top of that, Harry, Ron and Hermione were discovered in front of the message. Talk about bad luck. Could Harry ever keep himself, and his friends as well, out of trouble for one single year, or was Voldemort going to come after him even at Hogwarts? Skye could not shake the feeling of dread that the encounter with the Philosopher's Stone had entailed.

While the incident in Binn's class was profoundly amusing, she learnt nothing new. She thought that it was something new to tell Sirius, a History of Magic lesson whereby no one was sleeping. That brought her back to the question: how would she get a message to Sirius that Pettigrew was in Hogwarts?

~*~*~*~*~*

Time for Quidditch! Skye swooped to the nearest tree for a better view, carefully concealing herself from the spectators. If anyone saw Harry Potter's owl behaving suspiciously, especially after the Chamber of Secrets message… she was supposed to keep Harry safe, not get him into trouble.

Abruptly, one Bludger changed direction in which it was whacked, heading straight towards Harry. As one of the Weasleys hit it away, it swerved to go after Harry again. Something was wrong, and Skye had no doubt Harry had already known it. Both Weasley beaters sandwiched Harry, trying to get it away in the rain.

Wood called for time out, most likely for a conference. She could see one of the Weasleys gesturing angrily, and assumed something Wood said before the game was a bad omen.

A few minutes later, "Wham." Skye hooted in alarm, preparing to set flight. Forget secrecy, she would not stand by and watch her godson bleed to death. Making for the top of a stand, she was relieved to see Harry moving.

~*~*~*~*~*

Harry was a Parselmouth. As far as she could remember, James's family was so distantly connected to Slytherin's that it was insubstantial. All the purebloods were linked anyway, but she was sure the Blacks were closer to Slytherin than the Potters. She would have to check the library one day, when she could hold a book.

So how could Harry speak Parseltongue? Watching her godson lie with his eyes open that night, she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He was in Gryffindor, but if he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, he was in the wrong house, right? The problem was that Harry was still thinking about something else.

Abruptly, Harry pummelled his pillow. According to Ron and Hermione in the common room, Harry sounded as if he was trying to set a snake on another student. Perhaps that was the reason to his fury. Oh dear, yet another problem.

~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Skye tailed Harry around Hogwarts as best as she could, worried about what he would do to Justin. Harry slipped into the library, probably wondering if Justin was trying to do some homework. She spotted the group of Hufflepuffs at the same time as he did, straining her ears to hear what they were discussing.

"So anyway, I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?" a stout boy addressed the group.

Harry stopped walking. The anger in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first-year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him wihle he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know, Creevey's been attacked." The boy called Ernie continued. Skye frowned mentally. It did seem as though the attacks centred upon those who had irritated Harry slightly.

Musing about the new development, Skye almost failed to notice Harry's abrupt departure from the library. Sending a glare to the Hufflepuffs huddled together behind him, she flew off to the window overlooking the corridor. Harry was talking to Hagrid, but then turned down a corridor with no windows. Skye gazed soulfully after him. She had a bad feeling.

Therefore, it was less of a surprise when the unmistakable voice of Peeves screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! FUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!" With practically simultaneous crashes, the doors were wrenched open. Skye moaned in pain at the sudden assault on her sensitive hearing.

For several long minutes there was chaos, until a loud bang sent everyone back to their classrooms. Harry reappeared out of the corridor, but with Professor McGonagall with him. "This is out of my hands, Potter," she told him curtly, and Harry miserably followed her.

They marched in silence around a corner, stopping before a large stone gargoyle. Skye blinked. They were going to Dumbledore's office. Surely Dumbledore, being as wise as he was, would understand. Slightly mortified, Skye made herself comfortable on the windowsill, waiting for Harry to come down.

~*~*~*~*~*

Skye's first reaction was the same as Oliver Wood's. _Quidditch was cancelled?_ Thankfully, she had a bit more heart. Mentally berating herself, she changed it to a question about who was attacked.

"This will be a bit of a shock," Professor McGonagall said gently. "There has been another attack… another double attack."

Skye, already outside the hospital wing, felt her insides do a horrible somersault. Judging by Harry's expression, he was feeling the same. Lying beside a girl with long curly hair, her eyes open and glassy, was someone he knew all too well.

Hermione Granger. Harry's female best friend. Ron groaned. Harry gaped. Professor McGonagall queried about the mirror on the floor, but could not get anything useful out of them.

Skye felt a grim satisfaction at Ernie's apology. Her godson would not be Slytherin's heir, could not be Slytherin's heir. Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin, or so she heard. As Voldemort's number one opponent, Harry was unlikely to be related to him in any form.

~*~*~*~*~*

While swooping through the trees one night, Skye spotted Cornelius Fudge striding towards Hagrid's hut, accompanied by an apparently reluctant Dumbledore. From a close by tree she could make out them talking. Her stomach did another somersault. Lucius Malfoy was marching towards the hut.

Within a few seconds, she heard Hagrid roar. "An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" Malfoy replied something coldly, but she could not catch it. Pondering whether to move closer and risk detection, her dilemma was solved by Hagrid's subsequent outburst. "Yeh can' take Dumbledore!"

Like pieces in a puzzle, she understood what was going on. They were going to take Dumbledore away. From what she knew, Lucius Malfoy was a school governor. Though she did not wish to speculate how he became one, she could bet her wand that a hefty sum of money changed hands in the process. The blackmail part was obviously about the Order of Suspension, a decree that required the signatures of all twelve governors.

Dumbledore walked out, followed by an indignant-looking Hagrid.

In the hut, Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door. The door opened silently a few minutes later, invisible figures creating footprints on the ground.

~*~*~*~*~*

Hearing a bark coming from Hagrid's hut, Skye already suspected what was happening. Harry and Ron, no doubt, on one of their nighttime wanderings again. Sighing very loudly mentally, she resigned herself into tailing them. To her shock, they were moving towards the Forbidden Forest. Strangely, they appeared to be following a trail of spiders. Oh well. Just a couple of little spiders. It was not as if her godson was wandering into the Forbidden Forest. It was not as if she did not recognise the route._ Thank Merlin it isn't a full moon night. No problem. Nope. None at all._

Until Fang gave a booming bark, nearly scaring her out of her skin. Harry and Ron walked up to a car she recognised as the one they flew to Hogwarts, patting it delightedly. Until something moved. Skye jerked her head around so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash, if owls could get it. The glimpse she caught of Ron's face was enough to tell her he was frightened. A gigantic, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, carthorse-sized spider had materialized from the trees.

An Acromantula.

There was a reason why Remus in his werewolf form avoided that part of the forest, she realized. Careful to stay away from the trees and keep an eye on any spiders she could see in case of an attack, Skye followed the captives.

"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before." The sound of a voice calmed her down somewhat. Creatures capable of speech usually had some degree of reason.

"Hagrid's in trouble," asserted Harry. Skye could not help but feel proud of him, obviously terrified but still speaking, unlike Ron who was reduced to a quivering mass.

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye, friend of Hagrid." The Acromantula named Aragog actually sounded sad.

Years of training had Skye alert in a moment. She saw Harry reach for his wand. They were grossly outnumbered, but she was willing to do anything to save him, if not Ron as well. Skye swiftly calculated the time needed to swoop down, grab Harry and lift him out of the forest. However, she knew it was an impossible task. The webs were already flying through the air. She would never get him out in time.

_The Boy-Who-Lived eaten by a couple of spiders_, she thought bitterly.

Out of the blue, a blaze of light flamed through the hollow. The battered car appeared. Skye could have cried. "Get Fang!" Harry yelled, diving into the front seat. Ron seized it bodily and threw it into the back of the car, just as the car accelerated alarmingly and crashed through the forest. The Acromantula gave chase. Luckily, the spiders were too focused on the escapees to notice as a snowy owl fled from the forest at top speed.

"Follow the spiders. I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive." Skye arrived in time to hear Ron speak weakly.

"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," Harry explained. With another rush of pride, Skye recognised the ability to think from another person's point of view.

It was later, when she saw them safely to bed, that Skye prepared to leave.

"Ron. Ron!" Harry hissed through the dark abruptly. Ron woke with a yelp oddly similar to Fang's, stopping her. _What now?_

"Ron – that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom. What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?" Harry asked hurriedly.

Ron rubbed his eyes, concentrating on the question. In a sudden burst of clarity, Skye realized what Harry was trying to say. Ron's words confirmed her thoughts.

"You don't think – not _Moaning Myrtle_?"

~*~*~*~*~*

They went in. Through Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Skye flitted around the school, trying to release her pent-up energy. _He'll be fine. He'll be fine. He is not going to die._ She chanted the phrases again and again in her head, willing herself to believe them.

One. Two. Three. Four rounds melted into five, turning rapidly into six. She had lost count of the number when a familiar head of unruly black hair whipped past. Braking suddenly and nearly losing control, she spotted Harry walking down the corridor to McGonagall's office, bloodied but apparently alive. She sank onto a tree branch in relief.

Twelve troubles. Harry was only twelve. What would he get himself into next year?


	12. 11: Daring the Impossible

_**Author's Note**: I'm not going excuse myself beyond giving you a basic overview of what's going to happen to this story. Originally, over a hundred chapters were planned, spanning from the first meeting of the Marauders all the way to the defeat of Voldemort and perhaps beyond._

_I first started the story before GoF came out. For the next few years I had methodically crafted this story down to the minute details, including over a hundred characters complete with background stories whom I might never use, just in case. Then OotP came out, and I changed a few plotlines to fit the book. Then HBP came out. Again, there were more alterations to what I had originally planned the story to be. I decided not to continue publishing until I got a better picture from DH. That was the problem. DH was so incompatible with my original plot – including the Marauders' backgrounds – that I simply can't fit it in. I tried the best I can, since I loved some of the sub-plotlines._

_However, I have finally come to the conclusion that it was not worth all the wait I put all of you faithful readers through just to keep a few more elements. So I gritted my teeth and sliced off most of the planned chapters. This story will now end at the defeat of Voldemort. The only main AU is that Hedwig will not be killed off – obviously. Everything else will be as canon as I can make it._

_Enjoy. Updates will be around once a week if I can do it, and once again I apologise for the delay._

**Daring the Impossible**

Harry really deserved a birthday present or two, Skye decided. From the devotion Ron and Hermione showed him, they were bound to get something for him. The Weasleys had poor Errol. However, Hermione did not have an owl. Instead of post office service, she could do much better. Since she could not buy Harry a present herself, the least she could do was to get it from Hermione.

Hermione had said something about holidaying in France on the Hogwarts Express. Making up her mind, Skye swooped out of the window. Harry could do without her for a couple of days. Maybe she could even visit the Burrow to check up on Ron. Or Remus' cottage. The possibilities were endless.

It was about a week before she finally located Hermione. Just as she had predicted, Hermione had bought Harry a present, and was fretting about how to send it. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Skye. "Hedwig, is that you? Oh thank goodness! Can you help me deliver this to Harry?" Sounding delighted, she had tied the parcel onto Skye's leg. Hooting in acquiesce, Skye took off for Privet Drive.

While foraging for food on her way back, Skye caught sight of an old copy of the Daily Prophet. Her heart leapt into her mouth. There, featured prominently on the front page, were the headlines _Black Escapes Azkaban_. Her eyes involuntarily moved to the photograph underneath. It showed a filthy man with sunken eyes, howling maniacally with laughter.

Azkaban had not improved his looks, Skye mused sarcastically. The filth should be from the cells, as evident from the prisoner uniform. His dead eyes, the fire long extinguished that morning at Godric's Hollow, was more pronounced due to malnutrition. The anguish in them were as clear as day to her, yet she suspected that no one else understood it. After all, people saw what they wanted to see. The episode of Harry being mistaken as Slytherin's Heir proved it.

If he had indeed done what was thought to be impossible, breaking out of Azkaban, there were only two places he would go to. It being the summer vacation, narrow it down to one. Hagrid had told Sirius that Harry was being taken to his aunt's house. Number four, Privet Drive would be where Sirius was bound, then. Scanning through the article, a sentence jumped out at her: "Minister Fudge was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him – and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place. Dementors outside his door, day and night." Yes, Sirius did look a little – for lack of a better word – demented. No wonder.

Since he had kept his sanity, or at least most of it, he would be heading to Harry, since he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Skye would be there too, to oversee Harry's safety. Knowing Sirius' personality as she did, he would pick the fastest route – a straight line.

Maybe she could bring him some necessities, like food. Merlin knew he needed it. Prisons were not exactly famed for their cuisine.

-----

Within a day, she had picked up Sirius' trail. There he was, down below, a large black dog tirelessly loping onwards. His tongue was lolling out, and he was panting slightly. Unable to think of a better way to call out but unwilling to startle him, Skye hooted loudly.

Padfoot froze. He tried to move forwards, look up, and stop at the same time, resulting in a spectacular tangle on the grass. Skye would have laughed if she could, and if she was in the mood. Sirius resembled a gangly teenager still in his awkward stage. They were in a thinly wooded area in the London countryside, most likely because Sirius realised that a large black dog would raise too many questions if seen in the city. He was too large to be easily forgotten.

Sirius looked up, then glanced around in a clear imitation of checking for threats. Taking the hint, Skye made a quick detour to search for passers-by. Finding none, she landed on a low bush.

Immediately Padfoot leapt up. Four paws became limbs as a torn robe materialised on his body. Man and owl regarded each other for a moment.

Skye studied Sirius carefully, the first time she had seen him face-to-face in over a decade. Up close, he looked worse than he had in the photograph in the Daily Prophet. A head of matted hair framed his dead eyes. She could see his ribs under his thin prison attire. She bent her head into a painful stiff half-nod in greeting.

"I could hug you, but I'm afraid to squash you," Sirius whispered fiercely. "How's Harry?" Seeing Skye's obvious inability to reply, he offered her a wand. She took it suspiciously in her beak. How in the name of Merlin did Sirius acquire a wand?

"Nicked it of course," Sirius replied easily to her unspoken question. "So how is he?" he pressed.

"Surprised… he's… alive… What? The Muggles are mistreating him?" Sirius read out loud, exclaiming. Skye painfully inscribed a few more words in the soil. Owls were never meant to be scribes, only couriers, she decided. "Underfed… locked… servant… hate… magic…" Sirius' eyes flashed in anger.

"I knew it was a mistake to let Hagrid take him! How could Dumbledore? How?" Sirius raged.

For a moment Skye was afraid. Before her was a man she seemed to recall, the young Sirius at age eleven, freshly freed from what he later termed 'the Black prison'. In the first few months he had unleashed years of anger on Hogwarts in general. Later, he was thankful that the Marauders had never judged for who his family was. After each episode of fury, James had simply pushed his glasses up his nose higher and started casting Reparo charms.

It was that tolerance that led Remus to actually believe that they had nothing against his 'furry little problem'. It was that tolerance that led Peter to feel accepted, despite being mocked by others just for not being a genius.

Skye could understand why he was so livid. Harry was having a mirror-image of Sirius' own childhood. No doubt it brought up memories of coldness his parents had displayed when Sirius did not grow up into the perfect Black heir they had envisioned.

Helpless to intervene, Skye waited worriedly for Sirius to calm down, knowing that it was highly likely for someone to come by at any moment. According to the statement Fudge had given the Daily Prophet, the Ministry had deployed nearly all its personnel – mostly Aurors and Dementors – in a massive manhunt across Britain. It was just not safe for Sirius to be in human form, when Aurors could Apparate in at any moment. If he transformed in front of any of them, his cover could be blown immediately. If he stayed in human form, he would be Kissed before he could retaliate.

Azkaban, believed to be the most secure place in Britain besides Gringotts – she no longer believed that Hogwarts was safe after the two encounters Harry had there – could not contain Sirius. What better way to 'protect' the wizarding population than by getting rid of his soul?

Fortunately, Sirius soon ran out of steam, much to her relief. He stood breathing heavily with barely suppressed anger, composing himself with tremendous effort. When he finally managed to wrestle his emotions under control, he turned to Skye. "Take me to Harry. I want to see him first, then I'm heading for Hogwarts." The unspoken threat that Wormtail was at Hogwarts hung in the air.

Skye wanted to caution him not to kill Wormtail at first sight. It was the same reason why she had repeatedly reminded herself not to slaughter the traitor at every chance she got, and why she tried to stay out of his sight. Wormtail was more useful alive than dead. If alive, he could exonerate Sirius. If dead, it would prove nothing. Besides Harry, she had to keep an eye on the rat.

Skye had spotted the little rat on the first day that she got onto the Hogwarts Express. When Ron pulled Scabbers out, her heart nearly stopped at the sight of his pet rat. Grey fur, a tail like a worm – where he had got his nickname from – and the index finger missing from his paw.

However, what could she do? They needed Wormtail alive and preferably unspoilt. Sirius must be cleared before they could give him a piece of their minds. She could only watch from afar, plotting in her head. Probably something less illegal than the Cruciatus. Probably. During the First War, it was an anything-goes policy. If illegal curses did the job, they were used.

Skye had seen a mother standing protectively in front of her eight-year-old child, wand shaking as a Death Eater advanced. She was too far away to help, and even as Skye rushed towards the duo she feared that she would be too late. She had been at the perfect angle to notice that a hard glint entered the mother's eyes, desperate to protect her son, even as the wand steadied. The mother had shrieked out the incantation for the Killing Curse hysterically. The shocked Death Eater had no time to dodge.

Shaking her head mentally to clear the memories, Skye focused back on the present. No doubt Wormtail had already gotten wind of Sirius' breakout from prison. Why else would he pick a Wizarding family, if not to keep up with the news? She hoped that he was shivering in fear wherever he was – Ron did mention something about Egypt.

Skye fluttered onto a higher branch. Sirius vanished, to be replaced by Padfoot. She rose into the air, flying in lazy circles to seek out less populated routes that were accessible on foot. He followed her, placing all his trust in the only one who knew of his innocence and who was on his side.

It was night when they reached Privet Drive. Remembering how the Ministry automatically blamed the nearest magical person for any usage of magic, Sirius bathed throughoutly in a stream and Scourgified his clothes before attempting to enter the Dursley house. Lifting up the back window in human form, Sirius padded silently into the kitchen for food.

Meanwhile, Skye had spotted an owl struggling with the weight of a package as well as what she recognised to be Errol, the ancient Weasley family owl. She decided to lend a hand. Together, they soared through the upstairs window. She still had to deliver Hermione's present.

A few days later, Skye darted out of the Dursley house, nearly colliding with a floating Marge Dursley as she sped for Sirius' hiding place. Wasting no time, Padfoot made for Number Four, Privet Drive. Together, they watched as Harry Potter stumbled out of the front door, tailing him.

Harry sat down abruptly by the curb some distance away. Impulsively, Padfoot slipped out of the bushes for a better view. At that moment Harry looked up, straight into his eyes. Godfather and godson saw each other for the first time in twelve years. Harry raised his lit wand, frowning.

At that precise moment, the Knight Bus appeared, bringing with it yet another incompetent conductor. When Harry peered around the side of the bus, Padfoot had gone.


	13. 12: The Grim Strikes

**Author's Notes: This story will pick up speed as the years move on, with slightly more AU only around after OotP. There are around a dozen chapters left, according to my planning. Also, in reply to the people who have asked me about the sliced out plots, well, I do intend to make them into their own fics, though that would take a much longer time and many more stories with different genres. However, I'll erase Arriella/Skye from them.**

**The Grim Strikes**

Harry and Mr Weasley led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Skye and Crookshanks in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say goodbye to the others.

Left alone, Skye blinked her large yellow eyes at Crookshanks, who yawned lazily in reply. They had spent the night hunting rats together. Hermione's new cat was obviously part-kneazle, like one of Arabella's many feline companions. It was much smarter than an average cat. They had worked together to bring down more rats than either could on its own; definitely not normal cat behaviour.

Skye's thoughts turned to Sirius, who was on his way to Hogwarts by little-known country roads. With Dementors on the loose, they had agreed that any form human contact was too risky – his face was plastered all over both the Muggle and the Wizarding World. A stray dog, no matter its size, was less likely to attract much attention.

There was no use worrying about Sirius. He could take care of himself. Besides, someone was entering the compartment. Skye glanced at the door and froze.

Remus Lupin had just entered the compartment.

Unable to help herself, Skye stared. The years had not been kind to him, with premature grey hairs already liberally scattered on his head, probably due to the stress from finding work. Thanks to that vile woman Dolores Umbridge, who pushed for a couple of laws barring werewolves from working a few years back, prejudice against lycanthropes was at an all-time high.

Remus glanced around the compartment, hoisting his suitcase onto the luggage rack before folding himself gingerly into the seat nearest the window. Within moments, he was fast asleep.

Not long after, footsteps came down the corridor. The trio was returning.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed, as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats furthest from Remus.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once. Skye blinked in surprise.

"How d'you know that?" asked Ron, who was evidently as shocked.

"It's on his case," replied Hermione, pointing at the small suitcase in the luggage rack over Remus' head, where his name was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.

"Wonder what he teaches?" Ron asked, frowning at Remus. Skye would have rolled her eyes if she could. There was only one position open.

"That's obvious," whispered Hermione, who obviously thought the same thing, "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, I hope he's up to it," Ron concluded dubiously. Skye glared. If only Ron knew half the things Remus had done during the First War against Voldemort, he would not be so quick to dismiss Remus. Underneath his frail-looking exterior – courtesy of his 'furry little problem' – lay a powerful wizard if he chose to battle. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway, what were you going to tell us?" He turned expectantly to Harry.

Harry explained that Mr Weasley had warned him not to go after Sirius for any reason. When he had finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to query, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you?"

Skye bristled at that. Not for the first time she wished that she could speak, and correct their mistaken views. If Sirius had escape to go after any of them, it would be Ron.

The trio's conversation soon turned to lighter topics, and before long Skye drifted off to sleep, lulled by the soothing rocking motions of the train. Owls were nocturnal creatures, and it was the middle of the afternoon.

She was rudely awoken from her sleep when a jolt from the train caused her to fall off her perch. Distant thuds and bangs informed her groggy mind that luggage was falling out of the racks. As she opened her eyes, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. Skye jerked awake, suddenly alert. An attack? A good thing her eyes were used to darkness.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Remus had snaked a hand into his wand pocket, though outwardly he continued to feign sleep. No doubt he was trying to identify the situation before being forced to reveal his hand. A lesson Mad-eye Moody had taught them: always try to surprise the enemy.

"What's going on?" It was Ron's voice.

"Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!"

"D'you think we've broken down?" questioned Harry, who was feeling his way back to his seat.

"Dunno…" Ron trailed off, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.

"There's something moving out there," Ron mused, "I think people are coming aboard…"

Skye turned as best as she could and looked out. With her sharper eyesight she could make out dark shapes in the distance, moving towards the train. In fact, they almost seemed to be _gliding_. Her eyes widened. Those were not people.

The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully inside. "Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry –"

"Hello Neville," greeted Harry, feeling around and pulling Neville up by his cloak.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea! Sit down –" There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain – apparently Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," decided Hermione. Skye wanted to scream. It was safer in the compartments, where _Remus_ was. Her silent pleas went unheard as the door slid open.

There was a thud and two loud squeals of pain. It descended into chaos after that.

"Who's that?"

"Who's _that_?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron –" Skye wanted to applaud her thinking. When in doubt, run for the nearest person whom you think can protect you. Plus, Remus was there.

"Come in and sit down –" offered Hermione, her earlier thought forgotten. Skye mentally thanked Ginny.

"Not here!" spoke Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!" he added rather unnecessarily in Skye's opinion.

"Ouch!" Neville yelped again.

"Quiet!" a hoarse voice suddenly spoke up. Skye's gaze snapped in Remus' direction. He was awake. Good.

"Stay where you are," he murmured, no trace of sleep in his eyes. The noise that the children were making covered all other sounds, rendering secrecy useless.

Remus got slowly to his feet, holding a handful of flames in front of him. Elementary wandless magic any elite wizard could do, and one of the first things the Aurors as well as Order members were taught in the First War. A wand could only perform one spell at a time. Instead of choosing between _Lumos _and an offensive spell, wandless magic allowed them to utilize both at the same time.

The door slid slowly open before he could reach it. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in his hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. A glistening, scabbed grey hand was disappearing into the cloak even as Skye noticed it.

Her suspicions were confirmed: Dementors.

It drew a long, slow, rattling breath, and an intense cold swept over all of them. Skye shivered, memories of the First War flashing past her eyes. With an effort, she locked the memories up. Previous prolonged exposure, Occlumency, and the fact that she was an animal all helped.

Harry slid off his seat with a loud thud.

Remus snapped his gaze down, taking in Harry's unconscious body on the ground. Without hesitation, he stepped over Harry, still holding the flames before him, and drew his wand with the other hand. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go," he asserted.

The Dementor merely coolly transferred its attention to the wizard standing in front of it without moving.

"Expecto Patronum," Remus hissed under his breath, only loud enough for an owl's sensitive ears to catch. A blur of silver shot out from his wand, formless due to the proximity. Sensing defeat, the Dementor turned around and glided away soundlessly.

Soon the lights came back on, and the train started moving again.

"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" Hermione slapped his face, dropping to kneel beside him. Ron mimicked her actions.

"W-what?" Harry murmured groggily, coming to. Skye breathed a sigh of relief.

Harry was naturally bewildered, and the gaggle of schoolchildren surrounding him could do nothing to alleviate that.

But when he mentioned a woman screaming, with a flash of understanding Skye realised what he was talking about. Glancing at Remus, she could see from the tightening of his face that he, too, noticed what Harry's worst memory was. Skye flinched. She could still recall Lily's screams as though she had only heard them just the day before.

"_Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything – "_

"_Stand aside – stand aside, girl – "_

She was dimly aware that Remus made some excuse to leave, as the memory dragged her spiraling down into depression.

Even long after Harry had left and the house elves had arrived to take the students' luggage upstairs, Skye stared at nothing in particular, thoughts whirling in her head. She had some investigation to do.

-----

Two days later, Skye met up with Sirius to inform him of Remus' presence and to smuggle him some basic necessities. Unsurprisingly, Sirius had chosen to hole up in the Shrieking Shack, which at least provided him with shelter if nothing else. Sirius picked up an expensive-looking quill and examined it critically.

"Can I borrow your services as an owl?" he inquired abruptly. Skye bobbed her head in reply.

Using the writing utensils Skye had filched from Neville Longbottom – he was the least likely candidate to realize that some things were missing only to turn up a few days later – Sirius penned off a few quick letters.

"All right. First one to Gringotts' post owl department, you'll need to get three money collection slips verified. Then here's three letters each with a list of items already listed; just give it to the shop clerk and pay with a money collection slip. It'll be magically charged to the correct amount. One for food, one for potion ingredients, and one for equipment." Sirius directed.

Skye bobbed her head awkwardly again, sticking out a leg for Sirius to tie the letters on. She hoped that Harry would not need her for the next few days.

Sirius was not the man she had known for so long. Azkaban changed people, yes, but she had never comprehended just how much. How could she help the familiar stranger Sirius had become, if neither of them had really moved on from the past?

-----

The anniversary of Lily and James' deaths was approaching yet again. Sirius' mood seemed to affect the atmosphere, rendering the sky black and gloomy despite the cheery decorations in the Great Hall. Skye glared as she dropped in to visit Harry. At that moment, Remus rose from the Staff Table and slipped out of the Great Hall, eyes downcast.

It was obvious that none of the Marauders were planning on celebrating Halloween. Sirius had just sent her on a trip for Firewhiskey – which she could hardly lift by herself. By the look of things, he would likely be spending Halloween drunk. She sighed and made a mental note to obtain hangover potion.

On Halloween morning, Skye watched Harry make his way dejectedly back to Gryffindor Tower as the rest of his peers headed off to Hogsmeade. After beating a hasty retreat due to the presence of one Colin Creevey and later Filch, she shadowed him from outside as he climbed up a few flights of stairs, obviously heading for the Owlery.

Skye was just about to leave for the Owlery when a voice called out from inside a room, "Harry?"

Remus was looking around his office door, peering interestedly at Harry. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson," he suggested.

"A what?" And Harry was hooked. Skye silently thanked Remus for getting him out of his depression, and Harry for being there at the right time. If Remus had been alone, he could very well have decided to drink himself into a stupor like Sirius. Heck, _she_ would join Sirius if she could!

She tuned back into the duo's conversation, perched discreetly on one foot on the window ledge just outside their view. She really should look into being an acrobat if – no, _when_ – she can be turned back, Skye decided. Or maybe a spy.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" demanded Harry. Skye was confused. Fight what? They fought during Defence Against the Dark Arts? All she could remember were showcases of creatures kept in tanks, much like the Grindylow that adorned Remus' office now.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," he murmured, surprised.

Harry looked taken aback. "Why?" he queried.

"Well," Remus frowned slightly as he replied, "I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort. Clearly I was wrong, but I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialise in the staff room. I imagined that people would panic."

Harry stared. Remus stared back. "I did think of Voldemort first," answered Harry slowly, "but then I – I remembered those Dementors."

Skye winced as the memory of her latest encounter with Dementors resurfaced. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is – fear. Very wise, Harry," complimented Remus.

Skye kept her gaze on Remus as he continued to ease Harry's mood with sincere assurances. At least, unlike Sirius, Remus had not changed much from their Marauder days. Looking closer, she could see the shadows in his eyes, shadows that a decade alone only worsened.

_Do you even take care of yourself, Remus?_

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," called Remus.

Severus Snape strolled in through the door, carrying a goblet that was smoking faintly. He stopped at the sight of Harry, black eyes narrowing.

"Ah, Severus," Remus smiled, "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Skye eyed the smoking goblet with trepidation. She trusted Remus to know what he was doing, but she did not trust Snape. If Snape could hold a grudge against Harry just by virtue of who he was, who knew what he could do to Remus? It was not a matter of Snape having been a Death Eater; it was a matter of Remus being a Marauder, and being a good friend of Lily.

Evidently, Harry had the same suspicions, though with different reasons. He hinted to Remus that Snape might try to kill him – to which Skye scoffed. Even Snape would not be bold enough to attempt murder under Dumbledore's nose. However, trying to make Remus' life a living hell – like what he had been doing to Harry – was a distinct possibility.

Remus politely pretended not to get the hint. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you at the feast later." It was clearly a dismissal.

"Right," said Harry, putting his empty teacup down and leaving the room.

Skye remained. Her leg was going to sleep but she could care less. A wave of guilt washed over her when she realised that she had been spending time with Sirius for far too long, unknowingly neglecting Remus in the process. Sirius had warned her not to reveal herself to Remus, for fear of ruining the plan. It would be fine after Wormtail was caught. They could go back to being the friends that they were.

However, Skye knew better, and she suspected that Sirius did too. Things could never be the same between them, not after the suspicion that had clouded their friendship for years.

For that day at least, she silently vowed, she would follow Remus. Not Harry, not Sirius – who would probably just get himself drunk and be out of it the entire night – but Remus. She owed her old friend that much at least.

-----

Skye scowled, though her facial expression remained the same as ever. Why was the corridor jammed with students?

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron voiced her thoughts. She flitted to a higher window to get a better look – and nearly fell off the ledge.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

She had a sudden, sinking feeling in her heart.

There was only one person who could have done it.

Sirius had actually tried to break into Gryffindor Tower to get Wormtail, while she was occupied with Remus and Harry. How convenient that it was the one night that she was absent. She could not believe it.

Swooping off her perch, Skye made a beeline for the Shrieking Shack. Sirius had some explaining to do.

-----

The night was shattered by a scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Skye froze midair. That was Ron's voice, she was sure. All around her, owls were fluttering in distress, their prey disturbed by the noise their sensitive ears could pick up. Without hesitation, Skye changed directions for the Gryffindor Third Year Boy's Dormitory.

Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of the utmost terror on his face. "Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!" he shrieked.

"_What?_" Stunned, Skye could not respond.

"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!" Ron was hysterical.

Skye did fall off the window ledge at that point, barely catching herself in midair. What had brought that on? And for that matter, how did Sirius enter Gryffindor Tower?

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE! PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STNADING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

She returned to a window in the Common Room just in time to catch Minerva pushing the portrait hole open and moving into the corridor. "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" she asked loudly.

Skye was floored to hear the answer. "Certainly, good lady!" cried the knight in the portrait.

"You – you did?" stuttered Minerva. "But – but the password!"

"He had 'em!" crowed the portrait proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

Skye flew off at that point. Could she even profess to know Sirius anymore, taking into account the stunt he had just pulled? The attack on Halloween could be explained away by the date itself – sometimes even she had trouble controlling herself every year around that time.

She entered the Shrieking Shack by the window, startling Sirius, who was pacing up and down. Crookshanks lay contentedly curled in a slashed sofa.

"Wormtail wasn't there," he informed her calmly, without preamble. She dropped onto a piece of parchment they had left out for the purpose of communication and began writing.

"Not… since… last… month," Sirius read out loud. He looked up at Skye, who had stopped writing. "And you haven't told me that because…" he trailed off dangerously. She tried to shrug nonchalantly.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!" Sirius exploded. The wand in his hand – when did it get there? – shot angry red sparks at her and Skye instinctively cowered helplessly. Sirius was trembling in anger.

"Get out," snarled Sirius. Skye hesitated.

"Out!"

Skye left.


	14. 13: Into the Whomping Willow

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay, I had to cut this chapter into 2 because I couldn't finish typing it. This probably (hopefully) won't affect the typing of Chapter 14, so most likely you'll get 2-3 chapters this week, if I don't get writer's block.**

**Into the Whomping Willow (Part I)**

"It's us," an all too familiar voice hissed, clearly audible by owl standards in the quiet evening. Skye wheeled around, spotting Hagrid's door open. She swooped into a nearby tree, remembering all too well what had transpired the last time they visited Hagrid during a critical time. Several hundred hungry Acromantula happened. Oh, and a beat up old Ford Angelia. Must not forget the apparently-sentient car.

She wondered briefly if she could lift Harry up as an owl – owls were, after all, totally capable of carrying packages heavier than themselves – but quickly discarded the idea as preposterous. For one, even if Harry was underweight, he was still many times her weight. A pack of owls would be necessary, or maybe a phoenix. Besides, Harry's hero complex would never allow him to leave his friends behind.

They entered Hagrid's Hut, still under the Invisibility Cloak. Skye stopped listening. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. She turned her head and stared in shock. There, clear as day, stood Harry and Hermione, sneaking up to Hagrid's Hut. Skye looked back to check that Harry and Hermione were still in the hut. They were.

She turned her attention to the newcomers.

"Now?" whispered the Harry outside.

"No!" exclaimed Hermione softly. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think that Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

Skye frowned. What were they talking about?

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," replied Harry dubiously.

At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin. Skye refocused, trying to keep track of two conversations at the same time.

"I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment," whispered the Hermione outside.

Sure enough, a few moments later, "Ron! I – I don't believe it – it's _Scabbers_!" the Hermione inside shrieked in surprise.

Skye was beginning to have an idea of why there were two Harrys and Hermiones. One person theoretically could not be in two places at the same time. From what Hermione had let slip, she knew of future events. The logical conclusion – if she was not hallucinating – was a Time Turner. However, that did not explain how the duo outside got one, and what was so important that they had to change.

The first question was easier to answer. The Ministry of Magic had outlawed the private possession of Time Turners a few decades ago due to the rising popularity of changing time over the tiniest thing – such as getting better grades on an exam – and people accidentally killing themselves, thus creating paradoxes in time.

Snatches of information throughout the year came to her. Hermione had chosen to take all the electives available at the end of her Second Year, an impossible feat since her classes would inadvertently clash. However, it would be possible should she be able to be in more than one place at the same time, using a Time Turner.

Skye could scarcely believe that Dumbledore had allowed the usage of a Time Turner for such a frivolous purpose. The Ministry would never have licensed it, which meant that Hermione was using an illegal Time Turner. Skye just happened to know that Dumbledore did own one, having seen it in use once during the First War. Perhaps the aged wizard really was going senile. The best of people could be driven to insanity by prolonged usage. What made him so sure that Hermione would not be one of them?

"What are you talking about?" the Ron inside gaped at her as Skye turned her ear to the window. A frantic squeak, a thump and much scrambling noises followed. Wormtail, it appeared, had been seeking refuge in Hagrid's spare milk jug.

"Hermione," said the Harry outside suddenly, "what if we – we just run in there, and grab Pettigrew –"

Skye nearly fell out of her tree. Since when did Harry know who Wormtail was? Just exactly what would happen in the next few hours?

"No!" yelped Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen –"

Skye could have sighed. Her wild guess was actually correct.

Hermione nudged Harry and pointed towards the castle. Dumbledore was walking down the steps with Fudge, Macnair, and some old guy whom she assumed was a committee member there to oversee Buckbeak's execution.

Just then, the back door opened. Hagrid left the door ajar and soon the grass flattened to show three otherwise invisible pairs of feet. Some distance later, Ron stopped. "It's Scabbers – he won't – stay put –" he muttered, bending over to try to keep the rat in his pocket.

Skye had seen what the trio had not – a flash of yellow eyes in the distance. No doubt Wormtail could smell Crookshanks and was desperately trying to escape. Giving one last glance to the pair who was trying to rescue Buckbeak, Skye took flight. Preventing Wormtail's escape took precedence.

Wormtail had finally wriggled out of Ron's grasp, Crookshanks and the trio all hot on his tail with Skye following soon after. They were fully visible should anyone try to look. Skye hoped that it would not come to a battle.

As Ron gave a triumphant shout, hands clasped around Wormtail, Crookshanks hissed loudly in the direction of the Whomping Willow. There was a ripple in the darkness as a huge jet-black dog appeared from the hole in its roots. The Willow froze.

Things were just about to get worse.

Harry reached for his wand, but Padfoot had already leapt, front paws hitting Harry on the chest. The dog opened his mouth, showing inch-long teeth.

Was – was Sirius _attacking_ Harry?

No, she had seen the Animagus really attack before, and knew that Padfoot preferred to use his claws than his teeth. Sirius had said something about Death Eaters tasting bad. Squinting, Skye could make out that Padfoot's claws were retracted. She nearly laughed when she understood what Sirius was trying to do.

He was trying to greet Harry, his dog instincts having taken over at the sight of his godson. Unfortunately, his size and generally fierce-looking demeanor was projecting the wrong impression.

Ron shoved Harry aside, taking the weight on his arm. Padfoot instantly changed from trying to lick Harry's face to fastening his teeth on Ron's arm, dragging him away into the shadow of the Whomping Willow.

Harry tried to follow, but a huge branch slammed into him. The Willow had awoken. The duo spent the next few minutes dodging the waving branches aimed at them.

Skye would have helped Harry, except that the magical knot on the trunk was too low and she could not avoid the branches while hopping. It was the reason why Wormtail had always been the one to stop the tree, never any of them. Prongs and Padfoot were too big, while she was too clumsy near the ground.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "please…"

At that moment, Crookshanks darted forward, slithering between the battering branches and placing a front paw on the knot. The tree froze again.

With another uncertain look in the tree's direction, Harry and Hermione ducked into the gap in the roots, and not a moment too soon. Seconds after they had disappeared, Dumbledore lead the rest of the execution committee right past the Willow to the castle.

A rustle of leaves alerted her to another presence. "Right after we'd gone down into the passage!" Hermione exclaimed. "If only Dumbledore had come with us…"

"Macnair and Fudge would've come too. I bet you anything that Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot…"

And with Sirius handicapped – the wand he used was stolen, so it did not respond too well to him – he would never have stood a chance. Skye shuddered.

"Here comes Lupin!" Harry announced as they all saw a figure sprinting down the stone steps from the castle and haring towards the Willow. Skye was utterly confused. It was obvious that she was the only one of the three present who did not know what was happening – or would happen. So, if Remus, Sirius and Wormtail were in a room together…

Oh Merlin no.

_But they know. They know that Sirius is innocent, from what I could hear._ Perhaps the situation was not too bad after all.

Remus seized a broken branch from the ground and prodded the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Remus wasted no time in disappearing into the gap in its roots.

"If he'd only grabbed the Cloak," mused Harry, "It's just lying there…"

Harry suddenly made a move to dash out, but was restrained by Hermione. Apparently something important would happen to the Cloak, and Harry wished to prevent it. She could get the Invisibility Cloak, of course. The problem was, was it significant enough for her to reveal herself?

Barely a few minutes after a tipsy Hagrid made his way to the castle, the doors flew open again. What was it with people and moving around? Skye's eyes widened as she recognised the figure. Oh no.

Snape came charging out, running towards the Willow. "Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled as Snape skidded to a halt next to the tree, holding up the Cloak for inspection. After carefully scrutinising his surroundings, he vanished under the Cloak and into the roots.

"So that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there… and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again…"

There was a long silence.

Impatient and curious, Skye took flight. There was a gap in the boards on the windows of the Shrieking Shack. Perhaps she could see something there.

A blast shook the entire Shack as she drew near and Skye doubled her speed. Was she needed? It seemed to be an eternity before she finally alighted at the window of the Shack. Glancing around, she ensured that Hogsmeade was empty before peering through the gap in the boards.

Remus stood facing Sirius. Skye took it as a good sign that his wand was not raised. The trio were obviously shaken, huddled protectively in a corner. She squinted slightly. There was a mass of robes in a corner – Snape?

"– know, Sirius, that's a fair question." Remus was speaking, frowning slightly at Sirius. "How _did_ you find out where he was?"

For an answer, Sirius put a hand inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper. He smoothed it flat and showed the others. It was a photograph of the Weasleys when they had won the Daily Prophet Draw the previous summer.

"How did you get this?" Remus asked, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," replied Sirius, and the answer clicked. The Prophet had mentioned something about Fudge visiting Azkaban, and Sirius appeared to be sane at the time. At the time, she was simply relieved that Sirius was all right, but it appeared that that visit was the catalyst for Sirius to break out of Azkaban.

All because of a photograph.

Ron was vehemently denying that his 'Scabbers' could be an Animagus in disguise. Skye shook her head. Such naiveté.

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry suddenly demanded hotly. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

Wait, what?

Skye could have hit her head with a wing. Honestly, if Sirius was going to kill Harry would he actually be chatting? Talk about a one-track mind fixated on mistaken beliefs. She could see by the dawning look on Hermione's face that at least one of them had pieced together the truth. Smart girl.

"And now you've come to finish him off!"

"Yes, I have," Sirius muttered, with an evil look at Wormtail. _And Sirius isn't helping matters…_

Harry was getting incensed.

"Harry, don't you see?" Remus interrupted hurriedly. "All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down – but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father – Sirius tracked _Peter_ down –"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

Talk about denial. Seriously, rivers in Egypt, anyone? Any more of that nonsense and she might just enter the Shack and whack Harry on the head to show what she thought of him, despite her huge row with Sirius just the other day.

After some time, Remus had finally convinced Harry that Sirius was innocent and persuaded Ron to hand Wormtail over. The rat began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head. If that was not an outright guilty confession, Skye did not know what was.

"Ready, Sirius?" asked Remus, dangling the rat from one hand.

"Together?" asked Sirius quietly, approaching Remus with Snape's wand pointed at the rat.

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Wormtail was frozen in mid-air, his small black form twisting madly – Ron yelled in fear – the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then suddenly a head was shooting upwards from the ground; limbs were sprouting; next moment, a man was standing where the rat had been, cringing and wringing his hands.

Peter Pettigrew. The traitor.


	15. 14: Out of the Whomping Willow

**Out of the Whomping Willow**

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed –" Remus began, his voice light and casual.

"Remus," Wormtail gasped. Skye blinked. Did he not know that interrupting someone in the middle of a sentence was rude? "You don't believe him, do you… He tried to kill me, Remus…"

Talk about denial! That had to be the _third_ time in an hour. _Honestly._

Evidently Remus had the same idea. "So we've heard," he murmured coldly, steel in his normally gentle voice but not losing an iota of forced politeness. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so –"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Wormtail shrieked suddenly, pointing wildly at Sirius using his middle finger. Skye would have raised an eyebrow at the unintentional – or perhaps not, Wormtail could have used his other hand – rude gesture. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me, too… you've got to help me, Remus…"

Sirius stared at Wormtail, his face blank. "No on'e going to try to kill you until we've sorted a few things out," Remus soothed hastily, shooting Sirius a glance that told him not to contradict the sentence. With a glare back for good measure, Sirius conceded.

The duo proceeded to interrogate Wormtail, whose guilt was proven beyond doubt by both his words and body language. Wormtail had never been much of a liar, especially when confronted. His voice had a tendency to get higher and he usually broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing it with her eyes proved that he had not yet broken out of that habit.

"Believe me," Sirius croaked hoarsely, emotion choking his voice, "Believe me. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

And at long last, Harry nodded.

"No!" Wormtail fell to his knees, a scream torn out of his throat. With nothing left for him, the rat was reduced to desperately appealing to pity. Unfortunately, none of the ones in the room were inclined towards clemency.

"Sirius – it's me… it's Peter… your friend… you wouldn't…" Wormtail begged.

Sirius' face twisted at the mention of friends. He kicked out and Wormtail recoiled. "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," he sneered.

"Remus! You don't believe this… Wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," replied Remus quite rationally. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he asked casually over Wormtail's head.

"Forgive me, Remus," Sirius sighed.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend." Remus smiled slightly, rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

"Of course." The ghost of a grin flitted across Sirius' face in return as he mirrored Remus' actions. "Shall we kill him together?" he queried lightly.

"Yes, I think so." Remus turned grim.

"You wouldn't… you won't…" gasped Wormtail, scrambling to Ron. "Ron… haven't I been a good friend… a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you… you're on my side, aren't you?"

Skye thought that the revolted expression on Ron's face spoke volumes. "I let you sleep in my _bed_!" he snarled.

"Kind boy… kind master… you won't let them do it… I was your rat… I was a good pet…"

"If you made a better rat than human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," Sirius snapped harshly. Ron, face pale with pain, wrenched his leg out of Wormtail's grasp.

"Sweet girl… clever girl… you – you won't let them.. help me…" Hermione simply backed away in horror.

"Harry… Harry… you look just like your father… just like him…" Where was Wormtail planning to go with that? Reminding Harry of what he had lost was not going to win the rat any favours.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Sirius, "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABUOT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"Harry," Wormtail whispered. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry… he would have shown me mercy…"

Would he have done so? Skye was not as sure as Wormtail. Then again, Wormtail had never seen James in an outright battle during the First War, where the kid gloves were off and all of them were battling for their lives. As Moody had all-so-often beaten it into their heads, a spell was merely a tool. If a dark spell could keep them alive to protect another innocent life, use it.

Sirius and Remus strode forward, seized Wormtail's shoulders and threw him backwards onto the floor.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?" Sirius was shaking in anger.

Wormtail burst into tears like an oversized baby.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord –" Skye did not miss the way he automatically addressed Voldemort like a Death Eater, "– you have no idea.. he has weapons you can't imagine…"

Could not imagine? Skye highly doubted that. The Marauders were fighting right at the front lines. They had seen Voldemort himself several times, came face to face with him thrice, and lived to tell the tale. They had seen almost all that he was capable of. A weapon that they could not imagine was likely something Wormtail was fed as a scare tactic.

"He – he was taking over everywhere! Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?" Wormtail pleaded.

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!" Sirius shrieked in indignation, eyes burning.

"You don't understand!" screamed Wormtail, "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

Skye shook in outrage. Remus stiffened inperceptibly. Sirius stared. The teenagers gaped at Wormtail in horror.

Sirius was the first one to completely lose his temper. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"You should have realised," Remus added quietly, his normally placid demeanor now cold and piercing, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."

Two wands were pointed steadily at Wormtail.

"NO!" Harry cried out abruptly, jumping in front of the raised wands. "You can't kill him. You can't." Everyone looked staggered.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Sirius spat, "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die, too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," panted Harry, "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban… just don't kill him."

Wormtail flung his arms around Harry. "Harry! You – thank you – it's more than I deserve – thank you –"

Skye was stunned. Why did Harry stop them? Did Wormtail Confound him while none of them were paying attention? She would not put it past the rat.

"Get off me." Harry flung Wormtail away from him, easing Skye's worries slightly. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers – just for you."

Poor, naïve Harry. She appreciated the sentiment, she was sure they all did, but what Harry did not know was that all their hands were stained with blood before he was even born. James would have had no qualms about them killing Wormtail for his betrayal – except maybe not doing it in front of children.

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other, wordlessly deciding to leave the choice to Harry. With one movement, they lowered their wands. "You're the only person who has the right to decide. But think… think what he did…" Sirius sighed. Harry was too kind for his own good sometimes.

"He can go to Azkaban. If anyone deserves that place, he does…" Harry repeated firmly.

Not to mention Wormtail alive would acquit Sirius, Skye suddenly realised.

"Very well," sighed Remus, "Stand aside, Harry."

Harry hesitated. "I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear," Remus soothed. Harry finally nodded and did so. Thin cords instantly shot from Remus' wand.

"But if you transform," Remus continued in his mild voice, "Peter, we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

With some preparations – such as levitating Snape, the odd group soon made their way out of the door in the direction of the tunnels. Skye pulled her head out of the hole in the boards and took off for the Whomping Willow.

It did not take them long to arrive.

"One wrong move, Peter," Remus threatened, his wand aimed at Wormtail's chest.

Silently they tramped through the grounds, towards the castle, Skye soaring above them. And then –

A cloud shifted, bathing the figures in moonlight. Involuntarily, Skye looked up. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the full moon. Glancing down hurriedly, she saw that Remus had frozen.

"Run!" screamed Sirius, "Run! Now!" He scanned the sky, obviously looking for her.

Harry leapt forwards to grab Ron and Sirius refocused his attention, catching him around the chest and throwing him back. "Leave it to me – RUN!" His eyes fell on the solitary owl hovering directly above the group.

The now-transformed Moony wrenched itself free of the manacle binding him to Wormtail, only to be seized about the neck and pulled away from the humans by Padfoot. Skye was diving before she realised that her wings and adjusted their position, headed straight for Remus. From experience, it normally took two Animagi to subdue the werewolf, especially when he could smell – and see humans.

Harry gaped at her sudden appearance as Skye slapped her wings into Moony's face, deftly manoeuvring around the snapping jaws while Padfoot concentrated on bodily dragging him away. Claws dug into his back and the dog whimpered in pain.

A scream from Hermione alerted everyone to Wormtail. There was a bang, a burst of light – and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang – Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap. All potential enemies around him had been eliminated.

Skye glanced at Padfoot, who was in much worse condition than Moony, yet perservering. He was so focused on Moony that he had not realised anything else was wrong yet. She had to make a decision, and fast. Padfoot alone might be able to stop Moony, but a werewolf is generally stronger than a dog. Even if Padfoot won, he would be heavily injured. Skye, being an owl, would also be able to catch the rat.

It all boiled down to one question: Her godson's safety, or the traitor's capture?

Skye gritted her teeth and headbutted the werewolf. Wormtail would have to wait – a bit more. She shot the rat a look in time to notice the direction in which he was headed – straight into the Forbidden Forest. She redoubled her efforts.

_Just a bit more…_

With one last howl, the werewolf decided that human blood was not worth the battle. Moony turned and ran into the Forest, leaving behind two injured Animagi. Skye flapped weakly, blood dripping. There was no time to lose.

"It's Wormtail! He escaped!" shouted Harry. At the sound of Harry's voice, Padfoot struggled up again and bounded into the darkness. With some effort, Skye stayed airborne, and disappeared in a different direction, attempting to track the rat that seemed long gone.

Did she make the right choice?

She was unsuccessful.

Far away, a dog howled in pain. Giving Wormtail up, Skye turned for the lake. She almost did not notice the cold, until a black cloak flapping in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Dementors. She cursed inwardly, halting on a lower branch. That was one enemy she had no chance of beating, judging by their numbers.

Sirius was crouched in human form, clutching his head. Two black figures stood beside him. Upon squinting, Skye recognised Harry and Hermione.

"Expecto patronum! Expecto patronum!" chanted Harry, wand raised.

Skye had no idea what she could do. As an owl, she could not use any spells, and so even if she could cast a Patronus she had no way of doing so. It seemed hopeless.

A Dementor was lowering its hood, hovering in front of Harry. Skye's heart clenched in pain. Her godson was going to be Kissed and she could do nothing for him.

Then – "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A blinding, dazzling silver animal cantered across the full length of the frozen lake, charging at the Dementors and scattering them like flies. It galloped around the black shapes on the ground until the Dementors were gone, then turned back across to a very familiar figure crouched across the lake.

The stag lowered its head majestically. "_Prongs_," Harry breathed.

Skye gaped. The Harry and Hermione with a Time Turner! Of course, how could she have forgotten about them? She changed directions for them.

"What did you do?" hissed Hermione fiercely, having arrived with Buckbeak, "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"

Skye mustered a glare at the other girl. Rules were meant to be broken, especially when lives – or souls – were concerned.

"I just saved all our lives…" replied Harry, "Get behind here – behind this bush – I'll explain."

Hermione listened to what had just transpired with her mouth open. "Did anyone see you?" she repeated. Skye would have scowled. Had the girl been listening at all?

"I don't know – Harry, look at Snape!" Skye snapped her head around, staring across at the other bank. Snape was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of the others onto them. A fourth stretcher was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he marched them towards the castle.

Skye stared at him. Should she help? How?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Hermione. "Right, it's nearly time," the girl said tersely, "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realises we're missing…" she trailed off, but Skye had heard enough. If the duo were going to rescue Sirius, she would go with them.

"D'you reckon he's up there yet?" asked Harry, checking his watch. He looked up at the castle and began counting out loud.

"Look!" Hermione whispered, "Someone's coming back out!"

Skye glanced in the direction she was pointing in and saw Macnair. "The executioner!" exclaimed Harry, "He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione –"

Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her a leg up. Then he placed his foot on one fo the lower branches of the bush – Skye blanched when the branch threatened to give way – and climbed up in front of her. He pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins.

"Ready? You'd better hold on to me –" Harry whispered, nudging Buckbeak's sides with his heels.

The hippogriff soared straight into the dark air. Skye took off after it, trailing at a distance. It was obvious that they had a fixed destination in mind. Hermione's muttering came floating back on the wind. "Oh no – I don't like this – oh, I really don't like this –" Skye twitched in amusement.

Harry urged Buckbeak forwards. They were gliding surprisingly quietly towards the upper floors of the castle… Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Skye squinted. Harry had turned, and was staring at the windows flashing past in concentration.

"Whoa!" he suddenly called, pulling backwards as hard as he could. The Hippogriff stopped and hovered in midair, flapping his wings up and down slowly.

"He's there!" Harry whispered in excitement. He tapped sharply on the glass.

Skye flew nearer to have a better look, knowing that the duo would be solely concentrated on the window to notice her. Through the window she saw Sirius, his jaw open, hurrying to the window and trying to open it.

"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, carefully extracting her wand from her robes and fisting Harry's with a tight grip, "Alohomora!"

The window sprang open. "How – how –" Sirius asked weakly, staring at the hippogriff. His gaze moved past his rescuers to the owl not far behind. Skye froze.

"Get on – there's not much time," Harry whispered, gripping Buckbeak firmly on both sides of his neck to hold him steady, and Sirius wrenched his gaze back to his godson. "You've got to get out of here –the Dementors are coming. Macnair's gone to get them."

Speechless, Sirius could only obey. He placed a hand on either side of the window-frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back, and pull himself onto the Hippogriff behind Hermione.

"OK, Buckbeak, up!" called Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower – come on!"

The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upwards again, to the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements and the teenagers slid off him at once.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you've gone."

Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head. Skye silently landed on the roof behind the duo, making sure that only Sirius saw her.

Sirius glanced at her. "What happened to the other boy? Ron?" he asked urgently.

"He's going to be OK – he's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick – go!" Harry replied immediately, shoving the rope at Sirius.

Sirius was still staring at him. "How can I ever thank –" he began.

"GO!" Harry and Hermione shouted together.

Sirius wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll see each other again," he promised, "You are – truly you father's son, Harry…"

His face was turned away, so he did not see the surprised smile blossoming over Harry's face at the compliment.

Enormous wings rose once more, and the Hippogriff took off into the night sky.

Skye stared at the duo growing smaller and smaller, seeing Harry gazing after them with the same amount of intensity – then they rose above the clouds.

"Let's go," whispered Hermione, and together the duo took off running.

With a flap of her wings, Skye took flight. She easily caught up to Sirius and landed skilfully on the Hippogriff. Sirius petted her feathers, smiling.

They flew in no particular direction for a while, just trying to get away from Hogwarts, then headed for the countryside where they could land for a while.

Sirius dismounted from Buckbeak, fumbling in his pockets. Out came a piece of parchment.

"I made this," he cleared his throat, "so if you ever need to contact me…" He held out the parchment.

Skye realised what it was – one of the spells they had found during their research to create the Marauders' Map. It enchanted two pieces of parchment such that any words written on one piece would be magically transferred to the other, but the enchantment did not last long. The words would fade too soon for any recording purposes.

Skye carefully folded up the piece of parchment and kept it in her beak. Knowing time was of the essence – Sirius had to get out of the country before a lockdown occurred – they parted without more words.

The next morning, Remus resigned.


	16. 15: Terror Quidditch

**Author's Notes: I'm sorry for this being late; I'm in the middle of my competition season right now, and I find myself with barely any time left to type. I'll try to get the next chapter up before June ends, but no promises. After July though, updates should be back to normal.**

**Also, after some thought I've decided to take out the part about Harry finding out that Skye is a human. It veers too far from canon at this point in time for my liking. Sorry about that.**

**No, chapter 16 does not exist. I've only just realised that apparently chapter 10 has gone missing and uploaded it again.**

**Terror Quidditch**

The sun had already risen when Skye returned from a night of hunting, tired and ready to sleep. However, it was not meant to be. There was an intruder sipping at her water tray, one that she had never seen before. By the looks of the owl, he was rather young, probably too young to be an active post owl yet. Then again, he could be a pygmy owl.

Whatever species he was, he had no reason to be in her cage. HER cage. An owl's cage is equal to her home. Would you like random strangers barging into your house? She already had to put up with large flashy tropical birds sipping her water, there was no reason for some unidentified owl to intrude upon her space as well. Skye glared. _Brat, move._

The other owl carefully edged out the cage, twittering an apology. Skye hissed back, willing to forgive it just this once. She was tired, and she wanted to sleep. Stepping daintily into her cage, she tucked her head under one wing.

A thud on the wall made her look up again. The brat, unbelievably, was literally bouncing off the walls. It was daytime. Daytime meant sleep. What part of that could the brat not understand? And his coordination? Really, how old was he, to actually be able to crash into a wall? Skye clicked her beak in annoyance.

The brat wisely stayed as far from her cage as he could, all the while _still_ zooming around the ceiling like a grey-coloured Snitch. Maybe it possessed Snitch blood? Or perhaps there was an owl version of Attention Deficit Disorder?

The silent staring match was interrupted by footsteps pounding up the stairs. The brat immediately began zipping back and forth again as though nothing had happened. Skye clicked her beak again.

The door opened and Harry hurled himself into the room, grinning broadly. His eyes fell on her and the grin grew wider. He had just opened his mouth to speak when –

"OUCH!" Harry yelped, massaging his head. The brat finally decided to make its presence known, no doubt out of excitement at delivering its first message. No sane veteran post owl would behave thusly.

The brat dropped a letter haphazardly at Harry's feet. Skye sneered. No post owl worth their salt either would _miss_ the receipient when delivering a letter. She had even seen owls that drop letters accurately into the receipient's hands from a distance of ten feet in the air.

She followed the brat's progress around the lampshade while Harry read the letter. It was a wonder that the brat was not dizzy yet. Ah well, children.

"Calm down!" Harry called. The brat flew lower, over his head, twittering madly in excitement. Even one not proficient in the owl language could sense its mood.

"Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"

The brat dared to flutter down on top of her cage, obviously trusting Harry to protect him should she try to attack. Skye looked coldly up at it.

_One step closer, boy…_

Harry seized his eagle-feather quill, grabbed a piece of parchment, and scribbled what she assumed was the reply. He folded up the already short note into a miniscule square and attempted to tie it to the brat's leg, without much success since he kept hopping madly up and down.

Definitely Attention Deficit Disorder. That owl was getting on her nerves. Skye hoped fervently that she would never see it again.

The moment the note was secure, the brat was off again, zooming out of the window with what could amount to the owl version of "Yippee!" Owl language was not easily translated to human language after all.

Harry turned to look at Skye. "Feeling up to a long journey?" he asked.

Skye considered. It was not as if she could refuse. She hooted dignifiedly.

"Can you take this to Sirius for me?" Harry asked, picking up a folded piece of parchment on his desk. Skye hooted in the affirmative and he smiled ruefully in reply. "Hang on… I just want to finish it." He unfolded the parchment and hastily started scribbling.

The letter finished, he folded it into a more reasonable size than a miniscule square. Skye held out a leg regally, keeping extremely still. She wished the brat could have seen the demonstration. He needed it.

"I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?" Harry told her.

Skye nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing sound, spread her wings and swooped out of the window.

-----

Could she find Sirius? Of course. The parchment made sure of that. She could always write to Sirius and ask him where he was.

Finding a quill and ink bottle, Skye started scribbling. _Letter for you__.__ Where?_

The reply was nearly instantaneous. _Mexico City._

Skye gaped at the message. That was not even in Britain, or even on the Continent! How was she supposed to get there?

Flying was definitely out of the question – there was no way she could manage such a long flight alone.

So, not alone then? Then, the best way of getting there would be by normal human ways, or normal post owl ways. Surely owls must need some kind of transport as well for long flights – not every wizard lived in the same country as all their correspondents after all, so there must be some kind of transportation device besides portkeys or floo travel, which would not be conducive for owls.

It was not that she had never left Britain as an owl before. France was easy. France was _near_ Britain, at least near enough to fly to, with plenty of trees to land on when she got tired. France was everything that Mexico was not.

To get to Mexico, she would realistically require a transport of some kind, preferably wizarding. Muggles would no doubt find it odd for an owl to take an aeroplane, for example. Wizards would also find it odd if an owl tried to take a portkey, for example.

Not for the first time Skye wished that she had taken James' offer of pretending she was his pet and getting trained as a real post owl. Her family would have been suspicious if she went missing for long periods of time during the summer holidays, and simply telling them that she was staying at James' house was not enough. After all, a teenage girl staying alone at a teenage boy's house, even if his parents were present? Preposterous.

So, what could an owl take? Wizards had a choice of a series of international portkeys, international floo travel (with extra-potent powder and specially-designed fireplaces), or…

Ah. The Transatlantic Carpet. She had never really paid attention the one time she had taken it, but now that she thought about it, there were racks for post owls right at the end of every carpet.

The closest station should be a few days' flight away. Having come to a conclusion, Skye fluttered down onto a nearby tree branch and tucked her head under her wing. Sleep first, fly later.

-----

"Next stop, Mexico City, Mexico."

The Transatlantic Carpet was fast. There was no other word for it. Within an hour, they were already approaching North America. Skye wrenched her eyes away from the scenery beneath them and turned to the exit. It was time to go.

-----

Skye stared up at the night sky. Darkness had fallen before she had known it, but she was still nowhere near Sirius' location. At least she had a guide this time, unlike her rather disastrous trip to France. It was by pure luck that she chanced upon Hermione at the checkout counter.

Landing on a nearby tree, she unrolled the parchment and glanced down at it again. Sirius' last message, containing rough directions, had not faded yet.

In the distance she spotted the dimly-lit cave entrance Sirius had mentioned in the message, as well as a dark sillouette against the light. She had found him.

"How's Harry?" asked Sirius, kneeling down to untie the letter from her leg. Skye tilted her head in a faint imitation of a shrug, eyes darting to the Hippogriff pawing the ground behind him nervously. In her state, she could not bow, but owls were not part of a Hippogriff's diet, were they?

"Look," Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair in a classic nervous gesture. He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm really sorry for shouting at you that day." He did not need to elaborate. She understood the reference.

"I was just… just so frustrated that I couldn't find Wormtail, and when you told me that all the effort I had spent was all for nothing, I just lost it. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." Sirius sighed, bowing his head.

Skye hooted softly, laying her head on Sirius' knee and scratching away at the dust.

"Also my fault. Nothing to forgive," Sirius read out loud, staring at Skye with his eyes suspiciously bright. Without warning, he lunged forward, grabbing a surprised Skye and cradling her in the semblance of a hug.

"I wish you were human," he whispered. "I don't suppose you like being stuck as an owl very much, do you?" Skye frantically shook her head, causing Sirius to laugh outright.

"I wish we could have caught Wormtail. I asked Harry to live with me. We could have been a family," Sirius murmured wistfully, absent-mindedly petting Skye, who fluffed her feathers in reply.

_Me too, Sirius. Me too._

They could wish, but could never get.

The next morning, over some hot water, they discussed Harry's letter. Or rather, Sirius talked and Skye listened.

"I've been hearing strange things about Britain here," he began without aplomb, pointing to old faded copies of the Daily Prophet as well as various Muggle magazines as an emphasis. "Things like people mysteriously dying, for instance. There's actually a magazine that document unexplained events around the world, so I've been converting my money into Muggle pounds and subscribing to it."

He opened up a copy to show her the photograph. "Man found inexplicably dead with expression of horror on his face," he read aloud. "Sounds familiar, no?"

"Of course, that might not mean anything, except that Dumbledore pulled Mad-Eye out from retirement this year," he pointed at a news article in the Daily Prophet, "so I suppose I'm qualified to say that there's something wrong."

Skye stared back at him, head tilted to the side contemplatively.

Sirius sighed, smoothing out Harry's letter yet again. "And then this comes. Harry's scar suddenly hurts, and you've told me that in his first year, whenever he was near Voldemort his scar seemed to hurt."

He turned to regard her seriously. "I think I need to return to Britain. If what I'm thinking is right, Voldemort is planning on coming back, thanks to that little traitor. And he's going to do it soon. I'd be more useful gathering information back there than sitting on my backside doing nothing in the middle of Mexico."

-----

The trip back to Britain was similar to the trip to Mexico.

Three weeks after leaving Britain, Skye was flying over the London countryside, on her way to Hogwarts. She had delayed long enough. Sirius still had preparations to make, but he would be following soon after.

It was night time again when the majestic castle of Hogwarts loomed into view. Skye headed straight for the Gryffindor Tower, eager to see Harry again and to reassure herself that no, the Death Eaters had not gotten their hands on him.

Drawing closer, she noticed that only the trio was left in the empty common room. She tapped softly on the window.

"Hedwig!" Harry shouted out, launching himself out of his chair and across the room to pull open the window.

Skye flew inside the room, soaring across the room and landing on the table beside Harry's previously-occupied chair. She glanced down curiously at his homework. Death by decapitation? Then she noticed that it was for Divination. Ah, that explained it.

"About time!" Harry crowed, hurrying back in her direction.

"She's got an answer!" Ron pointed, equally excited at the grubby piece of parchment tied to her leg.

Harry hastily untied it and sat down, letting Skye flutter onto his knee, hooting softly.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Harry read the letter aloud. "Harry, I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumours that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore – they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry. Sirius."

Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, who stared back at him in shock.

"He's flying north?" Hermione whispered. "He's coming _back_?"

Skye shifted uneasily in Harry's lap at her tone.

"Dumbledore's reading what signs?" Ron asked, looking perplexed.

Any further queries Ron might have had were forstalled by Harry hitting himself in the forehead with his fist, effectively jolting Skye out of his lap at the same time. "I shouldn't've told him!" Harry snarled furiously. Skye picked herself groggily off the floor, making her way to the table, which was hopefully safer.

"What are you on about?" asked Ron in surprise.

"It's made him think he's got to come back!" Harry snapped, slamming his fist onto the formerly-safe table next. Skye hastily jumped onto the back of Ron's chair before the impact could dislodge her once more, hooting indignantly. She was ignored. Skye clicked her beak in annoyance.

"Coming back, because he thinks I'm in trouble!" Harry continued ranting. "And there's nothing wrong with me! And I haven't got anything for you," Harry added venomously, taking her clicking to mean that she was hungry, "you'll have to go up to the Owlery if you want food."

Skye gave him an extremely offended look. Talking was useless when Harry was in such a mood. Really, if he bothered to stop and think at all, he would have realised that Sirius alluded – as much as he could without saying it outright – that he was responding to a bigger crisis than simply Harry's scar – though the scar was the catalyst that triggered his return. Ron had the right idea.

Now, if only Harry stopped his ridiculous self-centered angsting and used his brains for once, he would have caught the insinuation, and thus would stop blaming himself. Sirius was old enough to understand the risks of returning.

She took off for the open window, cuffing Harry around the head with an outstretched wing as she went.

Besides, even if she was hungry, the Owlery did not contain food.

Stupid teenagers.


	17. 16: Quadwizard Quagmire

**Quadwizard Quagmire**

Early next morning, Skye was rather rudely woken up by none other than Harry. Did he not realise the effect of flying long distances without enough sleep? Oh, of course not, because he would be more important! Really, she loved her godson and all, but he was being ridiculously self-centred.

To demonstrate her unhappiness, Skye shuffled around on her perch, showing him her tail. It would have worked too, had Harry not exasperatedly suggested that he borrow Pigwidgeon – evidently that was the name of the annoying pygmy owl that had dared to intrude on her the other day – to deliver it, since she might be too tired.

Well, at least he realised the reason why she did not want to make another trip.

However, to let that joke of a post owl do _her_ duties? Preposterous! Not to mention that she was probably the only owl in Britain with a human brain, and thus would know to avoid tracking spells and the like. She might be irritated with Harry, but no way was she going to compromise Sirius' safety.

Sighing mentally in consternation, Skye finally stuck out her leg and allowed Harry to tie the letter to it.

"Just find him, all right?" Harry whispered, stroking her back as he carried her to one of the holes in the Owlery wall. "Before the Dementors do." Skye stiffened slightly, nipping his fingers with slightly more force as a result, then hooted softly as both an apology and a reassurance, before taking off.

The sunrise was beautiful, but she had no time to admire the view. Once out of sight of the castle, she dropped into the bushes near Greenhouse Five and pulled out her parchment. _Location?_

There was a long pause. _So soon? In transit from Mexico. Be in Ireland in two weeks._

Skye twitched.

-----

"Dear Sirius, I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half-asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal. Harry," Sirius read aloud, rather incredulously.

"Honestly! Who does he think he's trying to fool here? I'm a _Marauder_, we practically made excuses an art form! 'I just imagined it' indeed," he snorted. "Besides, it's too late, I'm already reaching Britain."

There was nothing else to say, as Sirius was eager to be on his way to Hogwarts.

"Take this reply to Harry, will you?"

-----

"Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius," Harry read out in a whisper.

Skye, who was nipping at a piece of bacon, nearly choked. _Keep changing owls?_

"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"Hedwig'll attract too much attention," replied Hermione at once. "She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding… I mean, they're not native birds, are they?"

Skye winced. On the one hand, she completely understood where Sirius and Hermione were coming from. On the other hand, would that really keep Sirius safe? What if the owls were hit with tracking spells? What if the owls were captured and the letters forcibly taken from them? What if – oh the horror of horrors – Harry decided to use _Pigwidgeon_? She swore that owl stood out even more than she did.

"Thanks, Hedwig," Harry murmured, stroking her. Skye hooted quietly, dipping her beak briefly into his goblet of orange juice – the nearest water source available – and took off. Since there was nothing more she could do, might as well get some well-deserved rest.

-----

The Triwizard Tournament? Skye blinked, remembering what Remus had found in _Hogwarts, A History_ in their third year. James and Sirius had been so excited to compete, until they found out that it had been cancelled until further notice.

"The champion for Durmstrang, will be Viktor Krum."

"The champion for Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour!"

"The Hogwarts champion," called Dumbledore, "is Cedric Diggory!"

There was thunderous applause. Skye breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps Harry would be safe this year. However, it was not to be. A fourth piece of parchment floated out of the Goblet of Fire.

"Harry Potter."

_WHAT?_

-----

Skye was hunting near the Forbidden Forest, as usual, when she spotted fireworks in the distance. Curious, she stared at the brilliant showers of sparks, rising above the trees for a better view.

Wait, not fireworks. Those were columns of _flames_. And since nothing in the Forbidden Forest could breathe fire – else the forest would have burnt down long ago – it must be for the Triwizard Tournament. She flew to get a closer look.

_Dragons_.

Four adult dragons were rearing on their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting, shooting torrents of fire into the dark sky.

Skye settled down cautiously on a nearby branch, blending into the shadows, prepared to flee the moment one of those dragons so much as glanced in her direction. No trees were on fire yet, the dragons seemed content to provide dazzling displays of fireworks fifty feet above ground instead. That was a good sign. She turned her eyes to the forest floor. At least thirty wizards were attempting to control the dragons, pulling on the chains connected to thick leather straps around their necks and legs.

"Keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled one of them. Skye abruptly refocused, surprised. Hagrid was standing nearly right below her tree, accompanied by another tall woman. _Isn't that the Headmistress of Beauxbatons?_

"Stunning Spells, on the count of three!" another yelled.

"STUPEFY!" the dragon-keepers shouted in unison. Skye watched with bated breath as the spells seemed to just bounce off the dragons' scaly armour. Surely they knew what they were doing?

Then the dragons fell, and it was all Skye could do to clutch at her branch and stop herself from being flung off as the ground itself quaked.

"All right there, Hagrid?" the wizard who had called Hagrid by name earlier called again. As he turned around, Skye overcame her disorientation long enough to realise who he was – Charlie Weasley.

"What breeds you got here, Charlier?" asked Hagrid, gazing at the dragons.

"This is a Hungarian Horntail. There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one – a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-grey – and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red."

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid." Skye's eyesight was good enough to make out a faint frown on Charlie's face. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming – she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

Skye's heart plummeted. _That's not fair!_ Then again, winning overrode all sense of fairness.

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," murmured Hagrid, obviously not considering that prospect, completely enraptured by the dragons.

Charlie shook his head. "Really romantic date, Hagrid." Skye jerked in surprise, snapping her head to look at the Beauxbatons Headmistress again. Now that she actually looked at both of them – together – she had to agree with Charlie's assumption. Not to mention the strong whiff of what smelled like a strong brand of cologne on Hagrid – how in the name of Merlin did she miss that in the first place?

"Four…" mused Hagrid, "So it's one of each of the champions, is it? What've they gotta do – fight 'em?" Skye twitched. Fight an adult dragon? Surely even Bagman would not be that stupid…

"Just get past them, I think," Charlie's words were more reassuring in a way. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, extinguishing spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why… but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."

Skye followed his finger to see long, bronze-coloured spikes protruding along it every few inches, and winced. Knowing Harry's misfortune, she would not be surprised if he got that one.

Speaking of Harry… Skye shot into the air in alarm. Sirius had told her he would be firecalling at one in the morning, and it was surely nearly one! She had to warn one of them about the dragons!

She reached Gryffindor Tower in record time. Glancing around the empty common room in suspicion, Skye deposited herself onto the armchair nearest the fire. Where was Harry?

She had almost dozed off when a small pop alerted her to Sirius' presence in the fire. He jumped when he noticed her. "Where's Harry?" he echoed her sentiments. Skye shook her head, jumping down and pulling out her parchment. With no writing tools nearby, she painstakingly scratched out the letters.

"Dragon? Are you talking about the Tournament?" Sirius clarified. Skye nodded frantically, flapping her wings in agitation.

Just then, the sound of the portrait hole opening shocked both of them. Sirius glanced up, mouthing, "Harry." Skye hastily threw herself under the armchair, just as Harry flopped into the same seat and almost immediately scrambled to crouch by the hearth, smiling broadly.

"Sirius – how're you doing?"

"Never mind me, how are you?" Sirius was evidently still worrying over the dragon issue. After a moment, however, his face cleared slightly. Skye breathed a sigh of relief. No doubt he had an idea.

"I'm –" Harry choked on the word "fine". "Not doing very well. No one believes I didn't enter my name into the Goblet. I mean, Sirius, everyone just brushes me off every time I try to explain otherwise, even the professors. Then Rita Skeeter had to lie about me in the Daily Prophet using her stupid quill that twisted everything that I said, and anyone who reads it – even Ron's mum – believes that instead. I can't even walk down a corridor without being sneered at now. And even Ron – even Ron doesn't believe me. Hermione says he's just jealous of all the attention I get, but why can't he understand that I don't want it? And now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner," he finished desperately.

Throughout the speech, Sirius gazed at his godson with eyes full of concern, but as Harry finished he spoke. "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute – I haven't got long here… I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about."

"What?" asked Harry disbelievingly.

"Karkaroff," answered Sirius instantly. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

Skye watched Harry gape uncontrollably as he struggled to take in all the information Sirius was unloading onto him. She was not surprised. It took her a few weeks of analysing with Sirius to come to those conclusions – hence his returning in the first place.

She returned her attention to the conversation when the topic moved back to dragons.

"Right – these dragons," Sirius spoke much quicker than before, evidently running out of time, "There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell – dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner. You need about half-a-dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon –"

"Yeah, I know. I just saw," interrupted Harry. Skye blinked. He just saw? That meant… the Beauxbatons Headmistress was not the only person Hagrid had brought along.

"But you can do it alone," repeated Sirius, "there is a way, and a simple spell's all you need. Just –"

But Sirius never got to finish his sentence, for at that moment footsteps sounded on the spiral staircase. "Go!" Harry hissed, jumping up to block the other person's view of the fire.

Skye twisted around and peered out from the other end of the armchair. Maroon paisley pyjamas showing several inches of bare ankle came into vision.

Of all the people, it had to be Ron, whom Sirius did not need to hide from. She winced as Harry began shouting.

-----

The crowd roared again as the Durmstrang champion – whatever his name was, Skye had forgotten and was too nervous to care about – retrieved the golden egg. The Hogwarts champion had been nearly roasted, the Beauxbatons one _did_ get roasted but she used Aguamenti just in time, and the Durmstrang one aimed for the dragon's weak spot but it squashed half the real eggs.

Not to mention she was right, Harry did get the Horntail.

What would Harry do?

"Here comes Mr Potter!" Bagman yelled into the microphone, and sure enough Harry walked into the enclosure. Skye squinted. He looked terrified.

"Accio Firebolt!" Harry shouted. Skye's eyes widened. _Flying?_ That was ingenious.

"Mr Potter has decided to try his luck with flying!" cried Bagman, as the Firebolt whipped past him to stop mid-air beside Harry. As though in a trance, he mounted the broom and kicked off. As the wind whipped past his face, Skye noticed that the terror slowly faded. Anticipation took its place.

_Good for you, Harry_.

She hooted as loudly as she could when he dove, snatched up the golden egg, and looped around the stadium in celebration.

One down, two more to go. Perhaps that would not be so bad after all.

-----

Had she actually thought it was not that bad? Skye twitched impatiently, watching from the sidelines as the champions lined up beside the lake, then at a sharp blow from the whistle, dove in.

The worst thing was that the spectators could not even _see_ anything. Really, who planned this kind of Tournaments? What was the point of having spectators, to sit there and twitch for an hour?

-----

Skye gawked at the former Quidditch Pitch. Hedges now ran through it at right angles to each other, and from her vantage point in the air she could see that it resembled a maze.

A maze. The third task.

Well, at least they could not put a dragon in a maze. But anything else… Skye shuddered. She hoped Hermione was pressing Harry to study a lot of spells, especially shields and offensive spells.

It was the last task. If Sirius was right and Harry was entered in this competition so that he can be killed – which Skye did not doubt – then whoever who did it would be desperate.

-----

"It's begun," commented Sirius as Skye alighted beside him, crouched behind a bush near the Forbidden Forest. From that angle, she could not see anything beyond

After an hour, red sparks shot into the sky. Sirius tensed. "Can you go check it out?"

Skye leapt into the air with a flap of her wings, circling high enough to provide her with a bird's eye view of the maze. Due to security concerns, she could not approach the maze, but her eyes were sharp enough to see the prone figure being carried out to the stands. She returned to Sirius.

"A girl? Beauxbatons," surmised Sirius.

Not long after by comparison, another burst of red light signalled the arrival of Viktor Krum. With only Harry and Cedric left in the maze, it was obvious that someone was manipulating the number of contestants. There was no way Harry could overcome the obstacles if they were strong enough to hinder those who had already been the top of their school, then training for months before coming to the tournament.

Another hour or two passed by in silence, though once or twice Skye could have sworn she heard a bit of unrest from the stands. She dismissed it as unimportant. Surely the judges would announce it if anything had gone wrong.

Then the screaming started.

Skye shot into the air as fast as she could. She froze when she finally saw what was causing the commotion.

Harry laid face-down on the ground, one hand clutching the Triwizard Cup and the other around Cedric Diggory's wrist.

**Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. Now that my competition's finally finished (yesterday, actually) update speed will be back to normal. I'm trying my best to finish this before September. The AU starts next chapter, but plot will be canon (besides Skye's presence) until DH****.**


	18. 17: Ministry of Madmen

**Ministry of Madmen**

Stunned at the sight, Skye hovered to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. That proved to be a near fatal error, as even as she stared she felt her insides shift uncomfortably in what she recognised – being an Animagus – as being the first stages of a transformation. She dove for the forest floor, hoping that she would make it in time – and if she did not, Sirius was there, Sirius would surely notice that something was wrong and help her.

Then her wings were disappearing, to be replaced by arms and she instinctively flailed them as she was falling, falling through the air, her body growing larger. Beneath her she could see Sirius rising up, raising his wand – but he was hesitating.

"Impedimenta!" Sirius hissed and she felt the spell take effect, slowing her down somewhat but nowhere near enough for a safe landing.

In the next glimpse she had of Sirius' face she saw his features twisted in a frown. Abruptly, she found herself frozen in midair, dangling like a ridiculous puppet, staring into Sirius' upside-down face and concerned eyes.

"Sorry, Wingardium Leviosa was too long and I didn't know if Mobilicorpus would have worked," Sirius told her apologetically. With a wave of his wand, she dropped none-too-gently onto the ground.

Arriella blinked and exchanged a meaningful look with Sirius. That transformation could only mean one thing: Voldemort was back.

She tried to sit up, but just as quickly realised that she put too much force into the action and crashed face-first into the ground. She tried again, only to use too little force this time and flop back down ungracefully.

Sirius stifled a chuckle.

-----

Sirius had left for Dumbledore's office not too long ago, with promises that he would see her in the Hospital Wing – injured or not, Harry would definitely be there after a debriefing with Dumbledore. It was just as well, for Arriella was sure that he would be laughing his head off should he see her practicing.

She glared at the tree root that had just tripped her up. It had been quite some time before she figured out how to stand up, and then to take tiny, dainty steps. She had not tried to use her vocal cords yet, fearing what might come out of her mouth. Better to stay mute and concentrate on regaining the instinct of using her limbs first. If a battle was coming, she could fire off non-verbal spells, but she had to be able to run.

Finally satisfied with her progress in the little time she had – and hoping that she would be able to regain her skills with time – she made for the Hospital Wing. She arrived outside just in time to spot Bill Weasley's robes disappearing beyond the door. Padfoot sniffed the air and glanced out of the open window, seeing her.

"Minerva," Dumbledore spoke, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also – if she will consent to come – Madame Maxime." Minerva nodded and left without a word.

"Poppy," Dumbledore then turned to the nurse, "would you be very kind, and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Very – very well," answered Poppy, looking startled, and she too left.

Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Poppy's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again. "And now, it is time for two of our number to recognise each other for what they are. Sirius… if you can resume your usual form."

Padfoot glanced up at Dumbledore once, and turned back into Sirius.

Mrs Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed. "Sirius Black!" she shrieked.

"Mum, shut up!" Ron yelled, "It's OK!"

Snape's face was transfixed into a look of mingled fury and horror. "Him!" he snarled, staring at Sirius, "What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," intoned Dumbledore, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences, and trust each other." By the way Sirius and Snape were glaring at each other with the utmost loathing, Skye privately thought that Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle.

Dumbledore evidently knew it too, for he rather impatiently added, "I will settle, in the short term, for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us."

Very slowly, the two moved towards each other, shook hands and let go extremely quickly.

"That will do to be going on with," Dumbledore sighed, stepping between them once more. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher – the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while, I will contact you there."

"But –" Harry interrupted, looking torn.

"You'll see me very soon, Harry," Sirius promised, "but first, there's someone else I want you to meet." He glanced at the window. Skye, taking the cue, flew in.

"Hedwig?" asked Harry confusedly, "I don't…" he trailed off, eyes growing wider as Skye transformed.

There was a stunned silence. Then –

"You're dead!" yelped Snape uncharacteristically.

Even Dumbledore looked taken aback. "This is most unusual. Why have you not revealed yourself before now, Arriella?"

"Voldemort used the Forced Animagus spell," explained Sirius tersely. "Right now she still has trouble figuring out how to walk."

The adults winced collectively. Hermione gasped. "I've read about that! It's a spell that forcibly locks you in your Animagus form, even if you aren't an Animagus," she explained for the benefit of Harry and Ron, who were looking clueless. "What made it a favourite of Death Eaters during the last war was that once the spell was cast, the wand will focus on maintaining it by continuously sending magic to reinforce the spell on its own, until the owner of the wand disrupts the flow by casting another spell. As long as the owner of the wand is alive, the spell stays intact. The amount of time the spell takes to wear off after being disrupted depends on the amount of power behind the casting, and there is no known counter."

"So that means…" Harry trailed off.

"Yes, she was stuck as an owl for thirteen years," Sirius finished.

"As much as we would all like to celebrate this miracle, Sirius, you have to go," interrupted Dumbledore.

Sirius grasped Harry's hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed into Padfoot, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Arriella nodded jerkily at Harry, glanced over at Dumbledore, and then she too transformed and flew out of the window.

-----

Skye waited patiently as Padfoot came trotting out to meet her at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Together, they made the trip to his hideout in Hogsmeade. As Dumbledore had subtly indicated, their first stop was Remus' cottage.

Skye transformed back into a human and bowed to Buckbeak, while Sirius tossed him some dead rats. He got on, motioning for her to sit in front of him.

"So that I have time to catch you if you fall," he explained when she looked at him.

Arriella pulled her face into a grimace. Facial muscles were such a pain.

-----

They landed several hours later in the same woods Arriella recognised from years ago. Not wanting to give Remus a heart attack, she transformed back into an owl and waited outside with Buckbeak, who was tied to the porch. Upstairs in the cottage, the curtains swayed despite the lack of a wind.

Moments later, the door flung open. "Sirius?" Remus asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Come in, I'll make some tea…"

Sirius stepped into the cottage, a grave expression on his face. "Voldemort's back," he said without preamble.

Remus spun around, cutting himself off. "Merlin," he whispered, "are you certain?"

Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore sent us to alert the old crowd."

"I can't believe he's – wait, 'us'?" Remus glanced around strangely.

Sirius sighed. "Remus, there were three of us at Godric's Hollow the night Voldemort attacked, but only two –" he choked on the word "corpses. Remember the forced Animagus spell?"

Remus' eyes grew wide. "I never thought… where is she?" he stared left and right wildly.

"Right here," Sirius called, beckoning. Skye soared through the still-open door and landed on the floor, transforming back.

Scarcely had her feet touched the ground before Remus grabbed her in a fierce hug. "It was you at Lily and James' wedding, wasn't it? I'm so sorry." Arriella awkwardly patted him on the back. Moving her arm in any motion besides up and down still felt strange.

Finally, Remus let go of her, chuckling sheepishly. "So, you need to alert the rest of the Order?" he turned back to Sirius, face serious again.

"Dumbledore wants me to lie low here for a while, probably to conduct meetings while he finds a new Headquarters. He said he'll contact me here," explained Sirius.

"All right, meanwhile I'll see if I can get in touch with the rest of the Order," Remus sighed, motioning for them to sit down, tea forgotten.

-----

"Thank you all very much for replying promptly," Dumbledore began, "but without further ado I will confirm one thing: Voldemort is back."

There were scattered gasps, but none looked too shocked. They had suspected that was the case when they had received the summons via phoenix.

"And now, I would like to introduce one of us who have been wrongly accused. Sirius, if you would please resume your usual form," Dumbledore stated. Skye twitched. If it was anything like the last time he had done that…

Padfoot transformed back into Sirius. Within seconds, ten wands were pointed in his face. He made a face. "I'd appreciate it if people would stop doing that," he groaned.

Dumbledore sighed. "Sirius is innocent. Kindly take your seats."

"Prove it," Mad-eye Moody spoke, staring at Sirius mistrustfully with both eyes.

"Gladly," Sirius replied, "do you happen to have Veritaserum?" Moody nodded, rummaging around in his pocket and fished out a vial. Without hesitation, Sirius drank it.

"Name?" asked Moody.

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Who was the Secret Keeper of Godric's Hollow?" interjected Dumbledore, cutting straight to the chase.

"Peter Pettigrew," answered Sirius in the same monotone.

"Have you ever followed Voldemort?" questioned Kingsley.

"No," the reply was instantaneous.

"Any more questions?" called Dumbledore. The room collectively shook their heads, satisfied. "Then please take a seat, Sirius, and drink the antidote. We also have another member, formerly thought to be dead, here today. Arriella?"

Skye landed on the floor, shooting up to her normal height.

"How?" Moody enquired.

"Forced Animagus spell," informed Sirius, "and she's still re-learning how to use her vocal cords so she can't speak yet."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, forcing all conversation to end abruptly. "To all new members, welcome to the Order of the Phoenix. To all old members, welcome back." Arriella thought that sounded rather like one of his Welcome Feast speeches and repressed a smile.

The meeting progressed as normal.

-----

Sirius sighed in relief, dropping onto Remus' couch with a rather undignified 'plop'. "That went well," he commented.

Arriella carefully folded herself into the armchair beside the couch, while Remus joined Sirius. "Another war," mused Remus, "and this time, we might not be as lucky."

There was no more that needed to be said. Gone were the days were they thought they could do anything, defeat any Death Eater, even match Voldemort himself. Though to be fair, they did exchange spells with Voldemort on several occasions – nearly everyone in the Order had, but much fewer survived the encounter. They were too old, too scarred, and too tired to emulate their younger, carefree selves in battle.

"Hope you haven't gotten rusty," Sirius quipped good-naturedly, "if we're going to use Grimmauld Place as Headquarters, you'll need quite a few spells to clean the place up."

As retaliation, Arriella flicked her wand at him. _Levicorpus!_ Sirius yelped as he was suddenly hoisted up into the air. "Hey!" he complained.

Remus laughed and Arriella cracked a grin, stretching her face as she did so. Some things would never change.

**Author's Note: I don't know how many of you would actually like to read about the whole re-integration process that Arriella will need to undergo, since this is supposed to be under the genre action. If anyone really wants I can put it in, but if not I'm going to skip that part in the next chapter. Also, I hope I've tied up the loophole about the Forced Animagus spell in this chapter – I'll be changing one of the earlier chapters later to fit this.**


	19. 18: The Meaning of Tomorrow

**The Meaning of Tomorrow**

"Wingardium Leviosa," Arriella muttered slowly, swishing and flicking her wand. A simple spell, but one that required very precise motions and accurate pronunciation. In other words, perfect for practicing.

To her satisfaction, the pebble she was trying to levitate obediently rose. "Nice. _Stupefy_!" a voice came from the doorway.

Arriella whirled around, instinctively moving the pebble in midair to block the spell and casting a nonverbal Disarming Spell at the same time. Sirius watched in amusement as the jet of light bounced off his own hurriedly conjured shield.

"Never thought I'd see a person who finds nonverbal spells easier than spoken ones," he commented.

"Never lost the ability to speak," Arriella countered, trying not to trip over her words.

Sirius inclined his head. "Point taken. At least your speech is much better than before. Maybe by the time Dumbledore will let Harry come, you'll be able to talk to him normally."

"Maybe," Arriella replied dubiously, moving the pebble back to the table. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she tried again, faster, and winced inwardly as she tripped over the 'r' sound.

The pebble twitched.

Arriella twitched.

A silent staring contest ensued.

The pebble won.

Sirius laughed. "Have fun!" he called, turning to walk away. He failed to notice the wand that was suddenly pointing at his back.

When she walked into the kitchen later, Arriella was very pleased to see a sulking Sirius Black with neon green hair and puce skin, wearing hot pink robes decorated with little puffskeins that refused to come off.

-----

"We're going to get Harry later," Remus told them over breakfast.

Sirius perked up. "Can I come?" he asked beseechingly.

Remus sighed. "Dumbledore said no." Immediately, Sirius drooped. "I'm sorry, Sirius," Remus told him sincerely, "but at least you have company. Ariel isn't allowed to go either."

Arriella stabbed moodily at a potato. As an owl, she had never stayed so long in an enclosed room before. If she had to be cooped up any longer, claustrophobia would definitely set in. She voiced as much.

Remus frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose I can take Skye out for a while. After all, Harry needs a new owl that looks like his old one so that no one suspects anything," he conceded, "but Padfoot is impossible. A Grim-like dog is hard to hide."

"Apparate both of us to your cottage and let Sirius walk around for a while," suggested Arriella. "If it's far enough from civilisation for a werewolf to run about freely, it's far enough for a wanted man to take a stroll."

Remus looked indecisive. "Dumbledore did specify… but oh, why not," he sighed, "I'll have to bring you back before I leave for Harry's though."

"Anything," Sirius affirmed, eyes wide and practically begging, "I'd give anything to get out of here, even temporarily."

"We can leave after breakfast," Remus promised.

-----

There was a deafening crash from downstairs. Arriella sighed. Tonks must have tripped over the umbrella stand again. Any minute now…

Sure enough, Walberga Black's screeching voice sounded not a moment later. Sirius groaned, jumping to his feet and charged out of the door into the Entrance Hall. Arriella followed, more slowly.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" Sirius roared, seizing the curtain. As usual, his mother howled more obscenities at him. Arriella winced, pulling out her wand. If Sirius and Remus could not force the curtains closed, she would try a privacy bubble that blocks all sound from filtering out. Knowing Kreacher though, he would probably tear it down in a matter of seconds. Thankfully it did not come to that.

"Hello Harry," Sirius said grimly, turning to Harry, "I see you've met my mother."

Over dinner, Arriella simply ate quietly, content to listen to the general flow of conversation around her. She had not yet spoken to anyone besides Sirius and Remus, preferring to continue practicing until she had perfected her speech before opening her mouth. Thus, no one tried to engage her in conversation.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," Molly yawned.

"Not just yet, Molly," spoke Sirius, looking at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

Arriella sat up straight, concerned eyes flickering to glance at Sirius. Was it wise to bring that up at the dinner table?

"I did! I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so –"

"And they're quite right," snapped Molly. "You're too young."

Arriella raised an eyebrow. Not too young to die, but too young to know information that pertains to him?

Sirius rebutted her sharply, and Molly retaliated. Out of the corner of her eye, Arriella noticed Remus' wary look. She nodded imperceptively, eyes narrowing in anger as Molly continued to bring up Dumbledore's instructions to Sirius. What did that have to do with Harry?

Molly had never gotten over the fact that Sirius was an ex-convict in Azkaban, nevermind an innocent man. To her, extended exposure to Dementors meant that Sirius' sanity was called into question – and thus his feelings of Harry. Arriella had thought that with time, she could come to accept that the man she had long-seen as being a murderer was nothing of the sort, but evidently some of her mistaken beliefs were tainting her image of Sirius.

If only she knew what Sirius had done for her family back during the First War…

"Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart –"

Dumbledore she could understand, it was probably due to Harry's lack of Occlumency training. But while Molly was the mother of seven children, none of them were Harry Potter. None of them had been actively involved in the First War against Voldemort. Her idea of "best interests" were probably the same as that of her children, which were vastly different from Harry's actual best interests. Harry was not a normal boy, and should not be tossed into the dark and expected to obey without question.

"Yes," Mrs Weasley murmured dangerously, her lip curling, "the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Arriella glared. How dare she! From across the table, her sharper-than-human hearing could pick up a low growl from Remus.

Sirius scowled fiercely and started to rise from his chair. Arriella exchanged a look with Remus.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," Remus barked out, more audibly irritated than Arriella had heard him for years, "Sirius, sit _down_."

Sirius obviously caught the sharp tone too, for he did not hesitate before slowly sinking back into his chair, his knuckles turning white where he clutched the table.

Molly was not happy, but with everyone against her, even Harry himself, she was overruled.

-----

"How dare she!" seethed Sirius, snarling as he paced around the room. "I do _not_ see Harry as a replacement for James, nor am I mentally unsound!"

"We know, Sirius," Remus soothed, seated on Sirius' bed. Arriella was perched on a chair, not unlike her Animagus form was wont to do.

"Calm down, Sirius," Arriella sighed. "There's no point arguing with her, she won't understand."

"Too right she won't," Sirius snapped back. "What was she doing during the First War? Hiding in the shadows like a coward while we were out there battling Death Eaters at every turn."

"She also had four young children to look after at the time," Remus pointed out reasonably.

Sirius scoffed. "And Lily was pregnant, but that did not stop her the first few months! It wasn't after the-the prophecy came out that she was forced into hiding."

Arriella bit her lip. "Not everyone can be like us, Sirius," she ventured softly. "We were young, foolish, and enamoured with the idea of glory. That's why we did what we did."

"That's still way more than what she did!" Sirius growled, but dropped onto his bed in compromise. Silently, they agreed to drop the matter – for now anyway.

-----

The next day, there was a hesitant knock at the door. "Come in," Arriella called, setting the table she had been levitating back down on the floor. She had expected it to be either Sirius or Remus, but was proven wrong when a mop of black hair peeked shyly around the door. "Oh, hello, Harry," she greeted in surprise.

"Hello," Harry answered quietly, slipping into the room.

"Do you want me to fetch Sirius as well?" Arriella offered, seeing his vague discomfort.

Harry looked relieved. "Yes please."

Arriella got up and left the room. A moment later, Sirius followed her through the door. "Hey, kiddo," he grinned and ruffled Hary's hair. "Something you wanted to talk about?"

Harry made a face at the action, then sobered up. "Yeah, um," he glanced from one adult to the other, pausing.

Arriella tilted her head much like an owl would. "Is it about how I ended up as an owl?"

Harry reddened. "Yeah," he replied, "I only know that Voldemort cast the Forced Animagus spell on you, but…"

"You'd like to know a bit more?" Arriella filled in the blanks.

Harry stared at her in surprise. "Can she read minds?" he asked Sirius incredulously.

Sirius shrugged. "She's always been like this."

"Women's intuition," Arriella informed them. The males exchanged a look and rolled their eyes. She pretended not to notice, choosing to start her tale. "I was at Godric's Hollow the night Voldemort attacked," at that Harry stiffened "for some reason, Voldemort chose not to kill me. I've been trying to stay with you ever since, hoping that if he ever came back, at least you'll have someone around."

Harry nodded slowly, accepting the explanation.

Then a shout came from downstairs. "Lunch!"

Arriella offered Harry a tentative smile, which was returned full-force as they trooped downstairs together.

-----

Sirius frowned worriedly at the closed door. "I hope Harry will be all right," he murmured.

Arriella laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry," she reassured him, "surely Dumbledore won't let him get expelled."

Then the door opened. Sirius rushed to it, as did everyone else in the house. "How did it go?" Molly demanded frantically.

Harry grinned broadly.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

Arriella frowned. Firstly, it was not Harry's fault at all. Secondly, getting away with causing trouble, while an admirable Marauder trait, was not conducive in the long run.

"And then there was this woman who looked like a toad!" Harry paused in the middle of his narration to an eager audience to take a bite of roast chicken. Remus frowned.

"You know her?" Sirius whispered to him under the cover of the celebration.

Remus looked positively hostile. "Dolores Umbridge. The bane of all non-purebloods."

Sirius hummed an agreement. "I've heard of her."

Arriella vaguely recalled a Daily Prophet article dated a few years ago that proclaimed said Dolores Umbridge as the one responsible for pushing through a few pieces of rather controversial legislation in the Wizengamot. One made it compulsory for merpeople to be tagged and collared. Another stated that werewolves must inform their employers about their condition when applying for a job – effectively stripping them of most possible jobs due to widespread prejudice.

Oh yes, she hated that woman.

-----

"How much do you know about Legilimency?" Sirius brought up the subject abruptly on one of the rare days when all three Marauders were at Grimmauld Place.

Arriella shrugged. "Opposite of Occlumency?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's more than that. Occlumency allows you to shield your mind from invasive forces as well as control your emotions. Legilimency, on the other hand, allows you to view surface thoughts of an unshielded person, delve into their mind to retrieve information if necessary, and even project thoughts into someone's mind." He tapped the book he was reading.

Arriella blinked. The book was bordering on what was classified as Dark Magic. Then again, it was the Black Library, and it was Sirius reading the book.

Remus peered over his shoulder in interest. "So what nefarious plot have you come up with now?"

Sirius pretended to look affronted. "Me? Nefarious plot? What makes you say that?"

Remus gave him a _look_. "I, too, am a Marauder, and thus am completely impervious to your innocent tone," he reminded Sirius in a haughty tone.

Sirius laughed, a more carefree laugh than any of them had heard from him in a long while. Remus smiled back.

When the laughter died down, Sirius resumed talking. "I was just wondering if we could use Legilimency to link our minds together, that's all." He received two shocked stares in reply.

"You can do that?" queried Arriella, looking interested. Sirius nodded, flipping open the book to the page and showing them.

"This technique can be used by any number of individuals with complete trust in each other. Once performed, they will be able to direct their thoughts at any of the others by concentrating on them. Ease will come with practice. Marked by the Ministry of Magic as obsolete magic due to the small number of successful cases," Remus read aloud.

They glanced at each other. "Let's do it," remarked Arriella quietly.

-----

"Harry fire-called today," Sirius confided in Arriella when she returned. "Apparently he saw a memory of Snape's that portrayed all of us in a very bad light. You know, the incident in Fifth Year."

"The one that caused Lily to break all ties with Snape?" asked Arriella in surprise.

Sirius nodded.

"What did he say?" Arriella inquired.

"He agrees with Snape," sighed Sirius, "that James was nothing but – and I quote – 'a bullying toerag'."

"What did you tell him?" Arriella pressed.

"That we were young, foolish and impulsive," Sirius recited, shooting her a small smile. Arriella quirked an eyebrow at the quotation.

"I wish we could have given him more insight about his father. I mean, during the summer holidays when he came – and Christmas – we didn't tell him as much about James as we could have. Should have." She griped quietly.

"We'll tell him everything when he comes for the summer," Sirius decided. "Harry deserves to know his parents, and not just one side of it either. James had been somewhat of a bully in school, but he wasn't always a bad guy. And, well, Lily's staunch association with Snape for five years was enough to make anyone avoid her."

"Yeah, we will," Arriella promised.


	20. 19: Department of Death

**Author's Note: "" indicates spoken speech, '' indicates Legilimency-speech. Sorry for not updating, had a bit of a login problem, so no one could access their accounts.**

**Department of Death**

There was a clatter as Sirius came charging down the stairs, screaming his head off for Remus and Arriella.

"What is it?" Arriella asked, jumping to her feet, wand already outstretched.

"Harry!" gasped out Sirius.

"What?" Remus shot to his feet. "What happened?"

It was then that the duo realised that there was a silvery doe cantering down the stairs behind Sirius.

"Potter," spat the doe in Snape's voice, "has a mistaken belief that the Dark Lord has imprisoned the mutt in the Department of Mysteries. One would assume that the _Gryffindor _imbecile is on his way to the Ministry right now."

Sirius huffed impatiently, leading the way into the hall. He looked ready to go running to the Ministry right then.

By then, all members of the Order of the Phoenix who were in Grimmauld Place at the time of the message had gathered in the hall. "So what do we do now?" Tonks asked worriedly.

"We go and help him, of course!" Sirius snapped at her.

The rest of the Order exchanged a look behind his back. Arriella gritted her teeth and pretended not to notice. _'They have to be kidding,'_ she thought furiously.

Sirius made his presence known in her mind by a low, keening growl, but otherwise made no reply.

"Fine, but you'll have to stay here, Sirius," Moody, being one of the senior Order members, took charge.

"Someone has to contact Albus," argued Kingsley reasonably.

Sirius glared at him. "Fine," he muttered. "Kreacher!"

There was a sudden loud crack. "Master called for Kreacher," the house elf sniffed haughtily, "the no-good blood traitor."

Sirius ignored the slight. "Kreacher, I want you to stay here and wait for Albus Dumbledore, then inform him that Harry Potter has gone to the Department of Mysteries. This is an order!" he commanded.

Kreacher stiffened, sneering, before giving a curt nod. He could not disobey a direct order after all.

"Well?" Sirius turned on the rest of them, "what are we waiting for?"

-----

'_Will we get there in time?'_ Sirius asked morbidly.

'_What if… he's already dead?' _Arriella wondered, panicking slightly.

'_Harry will be fine,'_ Remus soothed the two of them, though his mental voice was slightly strained as well.

Harry _had_ to be fine. There was no alternative. And they called Hogwarts "the safest place in Britain"? Arriella mentally sneered. If she could legally become Harry's guardian the first thing she would do is to pull Harry out from Hogwarts and get him transferred to another schoo. Preferably out of the country. She had no doubt that should Harry refuse due to his friends, she would get all of them places in the same school, Dumbledore be damned. Harry was _her_ godson. Not his little tool.

The three of them led the way down the halls of the Ministry, the rest of the Order close behind. The darkness was the first sign that something was wrong. Without bothering to give the empty Atrium another look, Sirius jabbed the button for the lift.

"Which way?" Remus yelled out loud as the door to the lift opened and they emerged in the Department of Mysteries.

Moody's magical eye spun furiously. "I can't see them right now," he murmured. "Try entering any room."

Arriella flung the door to the Revolving Chamber open and all of them piled into the room. "Any luck here?" she asked, purposely leaving the entrance door open. No sense in getting disoriented on top of the adrenaline rush.

Moody frowned. "Potter is that way," he announced, pointing, "with at least five Death Eaters. Those two doors lead into the room."

Without hesitating, Sirius ripped the indicated door open and charged through one of the doors, Arriella hot on his heels.

-----

Everyone in the room turned around in surprise when the two doors flung open, revealing the six Order members.

Arriella noticed that Harry, who was standing on a dais, relaxed at their appearance. Sirius spared him a relieved glance before turning his attention to Malfoy, who was raising his wand. Beside him, Tonks sent a Stunner at the blonde, forcing him to abort his spell. The rest of them also began raining spells down at the Death Eaters in an effort to allow Harry to escape.

Arriella snarled, wordlessly flinging multiple Stunners even as she ducked under a particularly nasty purple-coloured curse – the Death Eaters sure were not pulling any punches and were going straight into dark spells. Perhaps she ought to return the favour. After all, the Aurors were given free rein to use the Dark Arts by the end of the First War, so Sirus had taken it upon himself to teach all of them the basics.

In the end, morales did not come into the picture when your loved ones were being killed. The Dark Arts were classified as such simply due to their addictive nature – which any Occlumens worth his or her salt could defend against. However, the average witch or wizard was nowhere near that level, so its usage was restricted.

The only truly difficult curses were the Unforgivables – out of which, the Imperious Curse was the easiest to master – since the spell was powered by both intent and ability. To cast the Imperious Curse, one had to _want_ the other to submit to his will, or require his acquiesce for some important matter. To cast the Cruciatus, the wizard had to _really_ want to cause pain, suffering, and enjoy it – not difficult if a loved one was killed by a Death Eater and said Auror wanted some revenge. The difficulty happened to be the Avada Kedavra. Besides wanting to kill, the caster would have to have no small amount of hate towards the victim.

With that thought in mind, Arriella snapped her wand forward in a slashing motion, flinging the same purple curse in Malfoy's direction. The blonde's eyes widened before he smirked, sending another curse that boils the victim's blood – literally – her way.

Checking to make sure Harry was safely out of the way, Arriella opened fire indiscriminately on the Death Eaters. It was not soon after that Lucius engaged her proper, and she lost herself to the battle.

Left. _Incendio_.

Jump.

Shield! _Shield shield shield_… as a barrage of curses slammed into the silvery-white barrier she conjured up just in time. Arriella winced at the colour of one in particular. Had _that_ curse hit, it would have been rather disastrous.

She twirled around, leaping off the platform she had been standing on not a moment too late as it exploded behind her. She spun again, seeing the flashes of colour around her, but none directed at her so far. Sirius was duelling with a Death Eater whom she could not recognise, their wands blurring. Tonks, only halfway down the tiered seats, was firing spells down at Bellatrix – had the Auror program never taught her that it was easier for an opponent to hit her when she was higher up? Kingsley was holding off two at the same time –

'_Ariel, duck!'_ Instinctively, Arriella obediently flattened herself to the ground as a flash of green sped over head. She mentally thanked Remus for warning her, before firing a spell at one of Kingsley's Death Eaters and throwing herself back into the fray. They were still badly outnumbered so far, though the number of Death Eaters were dropping rapidly. Only the more experienced ones were left.

Her chosen opponent, Rodolphus sneered as she danced out of the way of yet another Avada Kedavra curse. Unlike the greenhorns, he was more casual with the Unforgivables, forcing her to dodge instead of block.

The world passed by in a whirl of colour as her sight narrowed down into the familiar tunnel vision during a battle. They continuously circled each other, so as not to be caught off-guard by a stray spell. Most of the time battles were one-on-one, but should any of their allies see an advantage, they would not hesitate to attack. Speaking of which –

Arriella fired off a Stunner. It flew past Rodolphus, who looked surprised for a split-second as to why her aim was suddenly off. Then he darted to the left, forcing her to turn as well to continue facing him, and in the fraction of a second she changed her position his eyes flickered to the side to see what she had been aiming at.

The red jet of light hit Mulciber squarely in the back, leaving Remus staring rather bemusedly down at his downed opponent. Then he looked up suddenly, and with a sudden yelp of _'Harry!'_ he was racing off. So much for help, then. She returned her attention back to the duel, determined to finish it as soon as possible. They switched positions once more, practically Apparating, and she tossed several Stunners at him in quick succession.

But Rodolphus was no longer looking at her. He was staring past her, absent-mindedly holding up a shield to block her spells, eyes transfixed in horror. "Dumbledore!" he suddenly barked out. "Run!"

One of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps. Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line –

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room, and Arriella turned slightly, still keeping Rodolphus in sight while watching Sirius from the corner of her eye.

And then Sirius screamed.

Arriella physically staggered backwards from the mental force a panicking Sirius exuded, eyes widening in horror. There were repeated screams of Sirius' name – which she suddenly realised was not just in her mind alone. She twisted around to see Harry, held back by Remus, struggling to run towards the Veil.

'_It's too late!' _Remus yelled, managing to tone down his voice when he repeated the message out loud.

Harry screamed and kicked, tears streaming down his face, but Remus would not let go. _'I'm not losing you too,' _he snapped, clutching Harry like a lifeline.

Harry continued yelling, even as Remus forcibly dragged him away from the dais, away from danger. He somehow managed to wrench his eyes away from the enticing fabric hiding his best friend from him, in favour of pulling Harry to safety. Arriella would have applauded him for his self-control if she could. As things stood, she slowly allowed herself to slide down the tiered seats to the ground, staring blankly at the fluttering Veil.

Sirius was dead.


	21. 20: Calculated Risks

**Author's Notes: The serious AU begins this chapter. Sorry for not updating earlier, my computer short-circuited and today was the first chance I got to type.**

**Calculated Risks**

_A flash of bright red light._

_A scream._

_Sirius' face, frozen in horror and shock as the spell hit him squarely in the chest._

Arriella jerked up in bed, panting harshly. A grim smile flitted across her face. So it had begun.

The book they had used had been particularly detailed in the description of the Legilimency bond. Once a permanent connection had been established, her mind would come to see the link as a part of it. In the case of death, the connection would break, tearing off a piece of her mind in the process and leaving behind a hole – the previous location of the bond – stretching into an abyss.

There was a very good reason why the Ministry had outlawed Legilimency bonds. During the height of the war against Grindelwald, his most fanatical supporters would seek out members of the opposition, slip Amorentia into their drinks, then take advantage of the situation to force a bonding. After that, the supporter would commit suicide, and in the process spiritually damage the victim.

As advanced as magical healing was, restoring a lost piece of the mind or mending it was impossible. A lesser wizard would have followed suit, unable to handle the omnipresent echoing emptiness. A wizard with stronger willpower would be permanently broken. Either way, a victory for Grindelwald.

Arriella could now say that she knew how the hapless victims felt first-hand. Every ime she lowered her guard – such as the time she was sleeping – her mind would instinctively reach out, trying to find something that simply was not there. Occlumency had no effect either, as the bond was seen as part of herself, and the shields were only meant to block outside mental influences.

How do you stop yourself from searching for something that had ceased to exist?

In a way, the loss acted like a mental disease, dragging any survivor closer and closer to the brink of insanity. Closer… and closer… probing at the perfectly round gap, seeking… hoping… maybe if she stretched a little further, it was sure to be there…

Arriella took a deep breath, wrenching herself back. No point dwelling on her condition and potentially accelerating her own descent into madness. First, she had to see Voldemort dead, so that Harry could be safe. Then, after that –

She was under no illusions as to what would happen after Voldemort's defeat. With the loss of her only goal in life, there would be nothing holding her back. Death was preferable to incurable insanity, after all. She could only hope that she would die in battle, and not suicide.

The longest anyone had ever lasted, as recorded in history, was five years. Five years of utter torture. That wizard became one of the chief fighters in the war against Grindelwald, and he was watching from afar when Dumbledore finally brought the other wizard down. He barely had enough time to stab a knife into his heart – forget shame, there was no time to feel ashamed of his actions, when he knew it was a choice between death and spending the rest of his life in the long-term ward of St. Mungo's – before his tenacious grasp on sanity shattered.

Arriella shuddered in sympathy, getting up from the bed. Perhaps she ought to start writing her will. Yeah, and maybe Voldemort would suddenly drop dead tomorrow.

~*~*~*~*~*

What else can you do, when you know that your days are numbered?

"I'm not going to sit here and wait," Arriella sighed. Remus, sitting opposite her at the kitchen table in his cottage, looked equally haggard with his bloodshot eyes and unshaven face.

"What do you want to do?" Remus asked at length.

Arriella gave him a searching look. "You're willing to go along with any plan?"

Remus blinked tiredly. "What's the worst your plan can do? We'll soon be dead anyway."

"Dead or insane," she corrected absent-mindedly.

"Big difference," shot back Remus sarcastically.

Arriella stared. "Right," she murmured, tapping her fingers on the table, "I've got an idea…"

~*~*~*~*~*

"Forget what I just said," Remus informed her tartly after she sketched out her idea, "you're already insane."

Arriella shrugged unconcernedly. "You game?" Her eyes sparkled.

A small smirk slowly crept up the side of Remus' mouth. "Yeah. Why not?"

It would be a plan worthy of the Marauders.

~*~*~*~*~*

Days passed by in a blur. With Voldemort's resurrection coming to light, the Wizarding World at large was panicking. Fudge had all but begged Dumbledore to be the leader of the faction against Voldemort, a post Dumbledore had accepted. The Order of the Phoenix also had a much easier job of recruiting new members.

Arriella wandered about the cottage in a daze – apparently Grimmauld Place was "compromised", or so Dumbledore said, after Sirius' death. If Sirius had not worded his will carefully, the house would have gone to Narcissa, his closest relation who was not a criminal. Dumbledore mentioned that he would check if Harry was the new owner, but she had no idea how he planned on doing so, especially when he kept insisting that all Order members were to stay away from Harry, just like the previous year.

Remus fared slightly better than Arriella, due to his long-time experience with controlling his mind. To him, everything was about control. Not biting anyone during the full moon. Not letting anyone – besides his dormmates – close enough to discover his 'furry little problem'. Not acting on his feelings, the few times he had been attracted to a girl, for fear of her rejection the moment his secret came to light.

Dumbledore put Remus back on light duty, mistaking both their demeanors as grief for one of their best friends. Neither of them bothered to correct his misconception. It was better off that no one else knew, so as to minimise the risk of word getting to the Death Eaters. Merlin knew what would happen to the two of them. Their allies would look at them with pity, and deem them no longer trustworthy – who would entrust a person who was not totally sane with their lives? Their enemies would have a field day, believing them to be easy targets.

No, it was better off that no one knew about their condition.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Ah, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Arriella turned around in surprise at the voice. She was reporting in at the new Headquarters – now situated in the Burrow – after her guard shift. Dumbledore had finally allowed her to resume her daily duties after nearly a month, and she could not complain. Anything was better than sitting around with nothing to do.

"Oh, hey, Tonks," she greeted. "Sure, what's up?"

Tonks glanced nervously around the garden before tugging at her arm. "In private, please?" she asked.

Arriella followed her to a meadow not far from the Burrow. Tonks twisted her hands nervously, her hair reverting to its original black colour as she queried, "Are you and Remus together?"

"What?" Arriella stared at her in shock. Of all the questions – _do you still miss Sirius, are you all right, how has your guard shift went_ - she did not expect that one.

Tonks gazed back at her earnestly. "Are you?" she pressed.

A shake of her head was all the answer Arriella needed to give.

Tonks grinned brightly, her hair shifting to a bright bubblegum pink. "Thank you!" she chirped, dashing off, leaving behind a rather bemused Arriella.

_Did Tonks… just ask me for permission to pursue Remus in a relationship?_

She paused. Better to get to the bottom of that. Tonks did not deserve false hope, and Remus might not be the best man for her, seeing that he was planning on putting his life in danger.

'_Hey Remus, do you like Tonks?'_

There was much spluttering from the other end of the connection. _'What brought that on?'_ Remus asked.

'_Tonks asked,'_ she sighed.

'_Tell her no,'_ he answered quickly. Too quickly, in fact.

Arriella blanched.

Great, complications. On the one hand, she had nothing against either Remus or Tonks dating. On the other hand, Remus was shortly about to throw his life away in the hare-brained plan she proposed. It would not be fair to Tonks for her boyfriend – or even husband, should things progress – to die so soon on her.

'_We'll deal with that when we come to it. Now, how good are you at brewing potions?'_

~*~*~*~*~*

'_I'm in position.'_ Arriella frowned. The Death Eater she was tailing was obviously either a new recruit or a lackey. He was not even making an effort to hide his affliation to Voldemort, when with every swish of his robes the sleeve flapped back slightly to show the tip of the Dark Mark on his forearm. Even if it was Knockturn Alley, he should have been more careful.

'_Be careful,'_ Remus sent back. Arriella winced at the sound in his voice. Tonks had finally made her move a few days ago, and Remus had made vague references to his being a werewolf, then fled.

Arriella replied in the affirmative. She was already wearing several spells that masked her smell and the sound of her movements, as well as a Notice-Me-Not Charm on top of a Disillusionment Charm.

With a discreet tap of her wand – even if he felt it, it could be attributed to the wind – she left a marker on him, keyed to hone in on the connection Voldemort had with him via the Dark Mark. A nifty bit of spellwork developed from the concept of tracking mental bonds – also not quite legal, but she no longer cared. Any Death Eater he came into contact with would similarly be marked, and the spell would spread itself from there on.

'_Mission accomplished.'_ Arriella stepped back, transformed into Skye, and flew off into the night sky while the oblivious Death Eater strode into one of the pubs in the Alley, no doubt to show off his new mark.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Dumbledore said he'll be bringing Harry in the next couple of days," remarked Remus.

Arriella glanced up at him, surprised that he would suddenly bring up a topic both of them knew well. Her eyes caught a flash of purple hair, and she suddenly understood. Remus was trying to avoid talking to Tonks, if not avoid her altogether. The upset look on Tonks' face every time she looked at him was painful to look at, especially when she went out of her way to cross paths with Remus.

'_In any case, we're nearly ready to make our move,'_ she told him.

'_So soon?'_ he asked in astonishment.

'_It's now or never__.__'_ She gave the mental equivalent of a shrug.

Commence: Operation Kamikaze.


	22. 21: Breached

**Author's Note: Sorry about the late update, I'm in the middle of my exams right now, which are ending next week so updates will resume then. Warning for this chapter, slight violence and gore worthy of the rating.**

**Breached**

"Professor Lupin!" a chorus of panicked voices shrieked.

Arriella hastily lowered her wand before she blasted them all into oblivion, confident that Harry's friends were certainly not a threat. She winced. Paranoia, much?

Beside her, Remus' mouth twitched lightly. Arriella groaned. She must have been broadcasting her thoughts again. The Legilimency bond was getting harder and harder to control; even when she thought she had shut it down, it could transmit disjointed thoughts. It was a good thing that there was not much she needed to hide from Remus.

'_It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you,'_ Remus soothed. Arriella rolled her eyes.

The trio – Ron, Neville and Ginny she believed – skidded to a stop in front of them, panting heavily. "Death Eaters!"

Instantly snapping out of their amusement, Arriella and Remus exchanged a dark look.

"Where?" asked Bill in shock. Dumbledore had doubled the number of patrols as though he _knew_ something was going to happen.

Ron and Ginny bent their heads over – was that the _Marauders' Map_? – for a moment before declaring unanimously, "Near the Astronomy Tower."

"Expecto Patronum!"

Tonks' Patronus – it was a wolf, since when had it been a wolf? – leapt out from her wand and headed for the other patrols to alert them while the four of them followed the teenagers at a run.

~*~*~*~*~*

They heard the Death Eaters before they saw them.

"Hurry up, boy," one of them growled and Arriella stiffened in shock.

'_They kidnapped a student?'_ Remus growled silently.

Without replying, Arriella jumped up and transformed in mid-air. Skye soared upwards, keeping to the shadows in the high rafters as she zipped forward to scout out the group.

'_Nine of them, plus Draco Malfoy,'_ she transmitted back to Remus, who relayed it out loud to the rest.

Arriella arrived back with the main group just in time to see the suspicious looks Bill and Tonks tossed in Remus' direction when they thought he was not looking. No doubt they were wondering how he managed to communicate with her.

'_Careful, Remus, they're going to suspect something,'_ she told him.

Remus sent the equivalent of a mental shrug her way and held up three fingers. They were now close enough to see the Death Eaters, who seemed to be unaware of their approach. _'Surprise attack?'_ she asked and received a terse nod – this time physical.

He lowered one finger. The four of them each motioned to one Death Eater, signalling their chosen target. Another finger. They tightened their grips on their wands, raising them together. The last finger lowered.

They burst onto the unsuspecting group of Death Eaters with a flurry of spells.

~*~*~*~*~*

Duck.

Jump.

Left.

_Run in a zigzag fashion and change directions often to confuse your opponent._ Arriella could remember snippets of her Auror training, and her body instinctively adjusted her position to compensate. The Death Eater she was fighting appeared to be simply a brainless minion – as Voldemort was often wont to have in large supply – so the simple confusion tactic worked on him.

He blinked stupidly as she surreptitiously cast a nonverbal Lightening Charm on her feet, nimbly leaping an inhuman distance away from her previous position. She took the chance to just as swiftly close the distance between them and slam a fist straight into his nose.

He dropped like a stone.

'_Ouch,'_ Remus remarked as she spun around, already changing targets. She had learnt the right-hook from Lily, who had once tried the tactic in battle and realised to her surprise that it worked on opponents better than any spell.

With an opponent as big as that one, she was not taking any chances. If she had fired off a Stunner that was a shade not powerful enough, there was a chance that he could wake up on his own. Better to be stunned by non-magical methods – that way, even an Ennervate would not wake him up.

Stupefy simply froze a person's cognition processes, causing their brain to shut down and enter unconsciousness. Ennervate did the exact opposite, firing a quick succession of synapses to the nerves in the brain to kick-start it again. Both spells were clean and quick. When knocked unconscious by non-magical methods, the brain shut down due to trauma and shock – something a simple Awakening Spell would not cure.

Without casting healing spells on him first, that Death Eater would not be going anywhere, and Arriella felt confident that the Order of the Phoenix could hold off his companions long enough that they had no time to heal him.

'_Be glad I didn't kick him in the balls,_' she returned tartly, scanning her immediate area for any clear shots she could take. Remus was duelling with a Death Eater using Auror footwork – that was, they were circling around each other warily, firing spells rapidly – so that was a no-go. She was actually surprised that he could take his eyes off his opponent long enough to notice her battle, then realised that that was a new opponent. His previous one – a Death Eater as large as the one she just despatched – was lying at the base of a wall, head lolling strangely to one side and clearly dead.

To her right, Neville was being backed into a corner by a brutal-faced Death Eater, round face plainly terrified although he was bravely holding his own. His opponent was clearly not an idiotic lackey, at least not as much as her last one.

Next target located.

~*~*~*~*~*

Arriella barely noticed it when additional voices added themselves to the battle on their side, only pausing for a second to gaze in fascination at a Transfigured large spiked club – from what, she had no idea – began merrily bashing away at one of the Death Eaters.

Minerva's handiwork, no doubt. That woman loved her subject.

"Avada Kedavra!"

She turned her attention back to her own battle.

Fight first, gawk later.

She mentally reminded herself to retrieve a Pensieve from Grimmauld Place and bring a camera.

~*~*~*~*~*

A sharp scream rended the air, followed by maniacal laughter and the unmistakable sound of ripping flesh.

Everyone stopped fighting suddenly to see what caused the commotion.

'_Oh Merlin,'_ Remus hissed.

It was Fenrir Greyback. Arriella bit back a wave of revulsion as the werewolf retracted his claws, licking at the blood coating them. From her angle she could not see Bill's condition, but he looked bad, with blood pooling around him.

Further down the corridor she could see Tonks' terrified gaze in their direction. While it was obvious that the sound was caused by Greyback's handiwork, the identity of the victim was unknown. She sympathised with Tonks. The other probably thought it was Remus, since Remus was in the area.

With a snarl, Remus shot a stasis spell at Bill and dove at Greyback. Before long, her world once more narrowed down to the man in front of her.

~*~*~*~*~*

Arriella frowned when her current opponent suddenly glanced sharply behind her, jumping out of the way just in case it was one of her allies aiming at her back. No spell whizzed past her, and she risked a glance backwards. There was nothing there.

When she returned her attention to the front, she realised to her surprise that the brutal-faced man had peeled off from the battle and was charging for the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower, following another of his companions.

Arriella stared blankly at the vacant spot in front of her and then at the stairs, for a moment disbelieving. _'Err, what?'_ she questioned incredulously. Then her brain kicked in and she sensibly dove out of the way as a stray spell bounced off the wall near her head.

"They've blocked the stairs – Reducto! REDUCTO!" Ginny shrieked, pointing her wand wildly at the barrier. The moment of distraction nearly cost her dearly as a jet of green light shot over her head, just narrowly missing her. Ginny immediately ducked and rolled away just as her assailant took more careful aim, the next spell hitting where her body had been a moment ago.

Out of the corner of her eye, Arriella noticed Remus charging straight at it. _'Cover me!'_ he yelled mentally. She moved automatically into a corner, ready to intercept any who might be bold enough to aim at him, until she realised to her bemusement that apparently there were more Death Eaters who had disappeared up the stairs before it was blocked, for she was not the only one left without an opponent to fight.

Unfortunately for Remus, the barrier was apparently both magical and physical. He bounced off with an undignified squawk, staggering backwards until Arriella reached out a hand and steadied him. He cursed mentally and she suppressed a grin.

There were only a few of them still fighting, the rest opting to try different methods of breaking the barrier. The Death Eaters had left for a reason – and Arriella had the sinking idea that it was Harry. Harry was conspicuously missing from the battle, which meant Dumbledore had probably taken him along to wherever they were going to.

With that realisation, she doubled her efforts at attacking the barrier.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Look!" Following the exclamation, she glanced the other way.

Snape was running down the corridor, diving straight into the fray. No spells were aimed at him, both sides obviously believing that he was on their side. Instead of helping either, he ignored all of them and rushed up the stairs straight into the barrier. She raised an eyebrow incredulously when, unlike Remus, he passed through it safely. He probably knew the counter-spell, being a spy and all.

Coming to the conclusion that the barrier was broken, Ron rushed forward, only to be repelled again.

At that moment, the Death Eater whom Ron had been fighting took the chance to fire off a spell – except that his aim was exceptionally poor for some reason, and the jet of light hit the ceiling. There was an omnious cracking sound, and Arriella grabbed the nearest person she could reach – which happened to be Ron – and dashed away as fast as she could, dragging him along.

Within a few moments, half the ceiling collapsed, further aggravating the lighting situation and sending up a cloud of dust which effectively halted all battles.

Snape came running through the dust with Malfoy junior in tow, and they again parted to let him through. He yelled something indiscernible and suddenly the Death Eaters were all abandoning their fights, running back down the corridor behind him.

Harry appeared at the top of the stairs – so it _was_ her godson they were after – running after the retreating group. Something was wrong, Arriella realised. He seemed to be crying. Rather than chase after him – he was old enough to take care of himself, besides, she seriously doubted he could catch up with them, what with the Death Eaters having such a huge head start.

There were more pressing matters at hand, such as Bill Weasley.

Remus was already bending over him, lifting the stasis spell. He beckoned her over.

Arriella winced in sympathy, running basic diagnostic spells over him. The Marauders had to learn the spells to be able to effectively heal Remus, and then later on during Auror training every trainee was trained in basic field healing.

Bill shifted and groaned in pain, one eye opening blearily.

"Shh, it's all right, it's all over, no one else is hurt," Arriella soothed as she worked, stopping the flow of blood and stabilising him for transport. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries – Greyback was obviously just toying with him, which was a relief. Remus might have just stepped between them in time; knowing Greyback's usual _modus operandi_, he enjoyed torturing his victim by inflicting minor painful injuries until they died.

Knowing what he wanted to hear, Arriella continued. "Ron's fine, Ginny's fine, you can rest now."

Satisfied, Bill closed his eyes again.

Remus conjured a stretcher and carefully levitated Bill onto it.

"Go check on your students, we'll take him to Poppy," Arriella addressed Minerva, and with a terse nod the Deputy Headmistress took off at a sprint.

"Come along," Remus called to the three teenagers, and together they hurried to the Hospital Wing, Tonks following in their wake.


	23. 22: Devastation

**Devastation**

"Dumbledore's dead," Ginny whispered brokenly.

"No!" Arriella's heart clenched painfully. She heard Remus choke that word out, instinctively glancing at him. He had sunk into a chair, burying his head in his shaking hands. Harry looked away from him, apparently unwilling to intrude into what was so obviously something private. Remus Lupin did not lose control in public. Remus Lupin did not lose control at all.

Deep sorrow leaked through the Legilimency bond and Arriella felt her heart ache in echoing sympathy.

It was inconceivable for Dumbledore to be dead. He was the figure of light that everyone looked up to, the constant wall between them and Voldemort. The symbol of hope, as the only one whom Voldemort had ever feared – thanks to a rather public attack during the First War when Voldemort had called for a retreat just when Dumbledore had appeared on the scene. In truth, he probably would have called for a retreat anyway even if Dumbledore had been absent – the Death Eaters had completed their objective after all – but the coincidental arrival of Dumbledore made it appear otherwise.

That was the reason most civilians believed that Dumbledore would be the one to defeat Voldemort, just like how he defeated Grindelwald, the previous Dark Lord of the century. Only those who knew the prophecy realised tha the was grooming Harry for that role – Arriella had no idea what the 'private training' sessions Harry had briefly mentioned over Christmas consisted of, but the very fact that such training sessions existed meant that Dumbledore was mentoring Harry. She felt safer.

'_This changes all our plans. With Dumbledore gone, Voldemort cleared a huge obstacle to get to Harry,'_ Arriella thought.

'_There's still us,'_ Remus replied with steel in his mental voice, _'and we won't let him. He won't take Harry without taking us first.'_ He raised his head to accentuate his point, giving Arriella a glimpse of the tears glistening in his eyes.

"How did he die?" whispered Tonks, voicing the question everyone had but no one else was able to ask. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him," Harry spoke in a hollow voice. "I was there. I saw it."

Arriella squashed down a sudden surge of protectiveness over her godson. It was too late to pull Harry out of the battle. As much as she hated it, Harry was an integral part of the war, as Dumbledore had often told them. It began the day a young woman with a temper as fiery as her hair faced down one of the most feared Dark Lords in the millenium over the crib of her one-year-old son and will not end until either the Dark Lord or the infant died.

Harry had to kill Voldemort. She would simply be there to clear the way for him. No Death Eater would so much as _breathe_ in Harry's direction – and Voldemort would preferably be missing a couple of limbs as well as vital organs, like his heart – during the final battle. After all, '_Neither may survive while the other lives'_ did not make any reference to any injuries Voldemort may have _somehow_ sustained. She snarled silently. Voldemort would _pay_ for what he made her, made them all go through.

Through the bond, she heard Remus utter a sharp inarticulate cry, whether at that revelation of Snape's treachery or her own thoughts she did not know. Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth. Tonks froze with an expression on her face that suggested perhaps she had been better off not knowing. Ron groaned. The blond teenager's mouth trembled and she seemed to be barely holding her tears back. Poppy had no such reservations, bursting into sobs.

Arriella immediately called up the midset of her Animagus form, forcibly locking away her grief before she, too, broke down. As the Marauders had found out during the First War, which Sirius utilised to retain his sanity in Azkaban, the Animagus transformation had the additional boon of clamping down on one's feelings. Life as an animal was much simpler. Sitting beside her, she felt Remus do the same, reining in his tumultuous emotions with the amazing self-control he possessed.

Their reasoning was simple. By the look on everyone else's faces, they were going into shock over the news, not that Arriella could blame them. It was a huge blow. However, they had no idea about the situation in the rest of the school. If the Death Eaters were still lurking in Hogwarts, waiting for the right time to strike, none of them would stand a chance. Someone had to remain alert, just in case. As the only two present who had been on the front lines in the First War – had endured countless such news, sometimes in the thick of battle itself, when a close friend fell – it was up to them to ensure everyone's safety.

There was always later. Later, they could grieve. Later, she could think about the fact that Dumbledore was _dead_, just like James and Lily and Sirius and – oh Merlin – _him_.

Remus jerked slightly in surprise as her control faltered for a moment, immediately pinpointing the reason for her lapse.

'_You still love him, don't you?'_ He sounded surprised.

Arriella sighed. _'For you it's been over a decade, for me it was only four years ago.'_ One negative side-effect of forcing a lockdown for extended periods of time was that the build-up of suppressed emotions had the potential to cause intense backlashes. The previous year, she had spent two months simply trying to recover from James and Lily's deaths enough to function as a human being. It was why she had been largely absent from Harry's life and the Order of the Phoenix mission roster – she had thirteen years' worth of pent-up feelings to deal with, on top of learning how to be human again.

"Listen!"

A haunting, almost ethereal melody filled the air. It seemed to come from… outside? Arriella glanced curiously out of the window, just in time to spot a flash of red and gold disappearing around the corner.

The tune awakened numerous conflicting feelings. Chief amongst them was deep-set sorrow. Sorrow for Dumbledore, for Sirius, for Frank, for Alice, for Lily, for James, for – for _him_, and for all her friends long-dead. Next came an overwhelming surge of protectiveness over Harry, who even now was standing, had to be standing strong as an anchor for his friends to hold on to, betrayed only by the twin trails of tears flowing down his cheeks. There were many other feelings that she could not possibly sort through.

'_Let go,'_ Remus whispered shakily. _'I can handle it.'_

With a wary glance at the door as though expecting Death Eaters to burst in, Arriella let go.

The grief that she had held for so long at bay slammed into her with the force of a sledgehammer, nearly bowling her over as she hastily dropped her head into her hands to hide the tears. Why did everyone have to die? Why did Voldemort have to take away everyone she had ever loved, or looked up to, or worked with?

For how long she sobbed, she had no idea, but after an indeterminate amount of time she finally felt that the worst was over.

'_Your turn, Remus,'_ she told him and was proud of the steadiness of her mental voice. He did not need to be told twice.

And as Arriella listened to the mournful song of the phoenix, awash in grief only partly her own, she realised that it was Fawkes' way of saying goodbye.

~*~*~*~*~*

The door opened, a particularly harsh sound in the aftereffects of the phoenix song that broke them out of its spell. Arriella slid her wand back into the sleeve of her robes when she saw that it was only Minerva. The eyes of the Deputy Headmistress – or was it Headmistress now? – flickered briefly in her direction but she said nothing, though there was distinct approval in her gaze.

They listened in stunned silence as Harry once again explained who the traitor was.

"Snape was a highly-accomplished Occlumens. We always knew that." To fool not only Voldemort but also Dumbledore, whose skill was arguably greater due to his experience, that spoke very highly of Snape's skill indeed.

Harry furthered revealed Dumbledore's reason for trusting Snape. Arriella's disbelief was mirrored by Remus', causing a feedback loop through the bond and provoking a rather uncharacteristic angry outburst from him. "Dumbledore believed Snape was sorry James was dead? Snape _hated_ James…" he trailed off as he suddenly realised an important fact.

'_But he could have been sorry for Lily's death,'_ he elaborated silently.

Arriella had to conceded the point. _'However, Harry is still the child of both Lily and James, a physical reminder of what he had lost. Furthermore, he resembled James in appearance. Is it not likely that Snape was reminded more of his childhood tormentor rather than his best friend?'_

Remus shrugged. _'Who knows how a Death Eater thinks?'_ he asked particularly harshly.

She had no answer to that.

The conversation was interrupted by the door flying open, and Arriella had to retract her wand once more – though, to her satisfaction, she noticed that she was by no means the only one who had to do so – as Molly and Aruther came barrelling frantically into the Hospital Wing. Fleur followed them closely, looking terrified.

Remus and Tonks instantly got out of their way lest they be run over, moving away to allow the family their privacy.

"And he was going to be married too!" wailed Molly.

Arriella frowned. Was?

That sentence was enough to set off Fleur, and Arriella along with everyone else watched with no small amount of amazement when the two women – who had been at loggerheads with each other ever since they met – began and embracing and crying.

Tonks chose that moment to whirl on Remus. _'Uh oh,'_ he muttered before she began tearing into him.

"You see! She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

Remus suddenly looked old, much older than his real age. "It's different," he explained with the patience only a former teacher would possess. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely –"

Tonks cut him off fiercely. "But I don't care either! I don't care! I've told you a million times…"

"And I've told _you _a million times, that I am too old for you, too poor… too dangerous…" he sighed, adding mentally, _'and too close to either death or insanity.'_

"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," remarked Molly helpfully, good mood obviously restored, and Arriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Molly knew _nothing_.

"I am not being ridiculous," countered Remus, who privately agreed with her. "Tonks deserves somebody young and _whole_." She did not miss the slight emphasis on the word 'whole'.

"But she wants you," Arthur spoke up as well. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so," he added, glancing meaningfully at Bill.

Remus switched tactics. "This is… not the right moment to discuss it. Dumbledore is dead…"

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world." Help for Tonks came from a totally unexpected source.

Faced with opposition all around and out of ideas, Remus glanced helplessly at Arriella.

Tonks caught the glance, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between the two of you?" she demanded.

Arriella closed her eyes briefly, fighting down a sudden wave of anger. Tonks did not know she was seriously offending her. When she opened them, they were blank. "Tonks, I am engaged." Amidst the sharp inhalations she heard Remus cough politely. "Was engaged," she amended with a self-deprecating smirk and they froze, "until Voldemort decided to make a public statement with him mangled body. Does that answer your question?"

Tonks looked both unnerved at the haunted look and horrified at her social blunder. "I – I'm sorry," she answered awkwardly.

Arriella nodded graciously at the apology. "No offence taken."

"Do you ever – you know, regret it?" asked Tonks in a small voice.

"He knew what he was getting himself into when he chose to get involved with a high-profile target," returned Arriella calmly.

Everyone except Remus blinked. "High-profile target?" asked Harry.

Remus sighed. "Have you every heard of the Marauders?"

The adults gasped. Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. "You mean, it's the same –"

"Yes," Arriella elaborated for the benefit of the other teenagers, who all looked clueless, "the Marauders, known in Hogwarts as the most notorious pranksters ever to grace these halls" Minerva laughed at that "and amongst the Death Eaters as their worst nightmare."

"The Maruaders were a group of anonymous individuals whose dressed in white cloaks who formed what was arguably the most successful resistance against Voldemort in the First War," recited Hermione excitedly. "They usually arrive well before any other resistance groups and are well-known for their efficiency. It is unclear whether they are an offshoot of the Order of the Phoenix, who often appear alongside them, or are a separate organisation altogether."

Harry stared at the two of them with newfound admiration in his eyes.

Arriella coughed lightly. "But back to the original topic," she reminded them, "The reason why I brought that up was because I personally believe that before you make a decision, you need to fully understand what you are getting yourself into first, Tonks."

Remus jerked as if stung, shooting her a betrayed look, while Tonks' expression turned mulish. "I told you, I don't care –"

"His lycanthropy is the least of your worries," snapped Arriella, irritated at being interrupted and Tonks' mouth fell shut with an audible click. "What Remus has been trying to tell you the whole year is that due to our – _expertise _– Dumbledore had sent us on a long-term suicidal mission."

There was an instant uproar. Over the cacophony of shocked voices she heard Remus ask, _'Dumbledore?'_

'_Play along. Improvise,'_ she advised.

Accordingly, Remus objected, "Dumbledore told us to keep it secret."

"Dumbledore is dead," she sighed. "Besides, I'm not giving out details, and wouldn't you agree that it would be more dangerous should we keep this secret now and risk suspicion later?"

"Wait, you mean the mission isn't complete yet?" asked Minerva.

They shook their heads and Remmus turned to Tonks. "That's why I've been rejecting you. You deserve someone who doesn't have a death sentence over his head."

Tonks gaped at him. "B-but…"

"So the real question is," Arriella moved between them, looming over Tonks, who backed away nervously, "do you still want to be with him now? Knowing that he will barely spend any time with you? Knowing that each time you say goodbye may be the last time you see him alive? Knowing that he is on a mission with a hundred percent chance of death? Knowing that any child you have will grow up fatherless?"

Tonks swallowed rapidly. "T-tis better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all," she finally quoted faintly.

"Are you sure?" Arriella questioned fiercely.

"Y-yes," Tonks stuttered.

"Very sure?" she pressed.

"Yes! I don't care!" Tonks shot back.

Satisfied, Arriella stepped aside. Tonks blinked as the sense of foreboding vanished. "You have your answer," she told Remus.


	24. 23: Racing the Clock

**Author's Note: I apologise for the lateness; there was a sudden onslaught of post-exam projects that caught me by surprise.**

**Racing the Clock**

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," announced the ceremony master solemnly.

At those words, Remus leant over the last few inches separating them and gently kissed Tonks. Happiness – along with a good deal of disbelief that it was actually happening – washed through the bond.

Arriella smiled, sending back a wave of reassurance that yes, he was really married, ignoring the sharp pain that briefly shot through her heart. She would never be able to stand upon that dais in this lifetime, because G – because her fiancé was dead.

_Don't think about him,_ she told herself sternly. _Just a little while longer._

Aloud, she queried absently, "Say, am I supposed to call you Tonks, or Lupin now?"

~*~*~*~*~*

One week later, the Order of the Phoenix were gathered at Hogwarts for their first official meeting after Dumbledore's death.

"Our first priority is to get Harry out of there before he turns seventeen," Minerva told them.

Dumbledore concurred from his portrait. "The blood wards would break upon his birthday," he explained for the benefit of the new members.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"However, the Death Eaters would already know where Harry lives, and increase their guard in the area as a result. Any suggestions?" Minerva continued, face darkening at the reminder of the betrayal.

"I propose that we tell the nosy Ministry that Harry is to be relocated on his birthday, but in actual fact we get him out around two weeks before that," spoke Tonks.

Kingsley concurred verbally. "I second that."

Murmurs of agreement filled the Headmaster's Office. The Ministry had been especially meddlesome lately, poking their noses into where they did not belong, even going so far as to ban the general usage of magic within Privet Drive itself. It was all done in the name of ensuring the safety of the Boy-Who-Lived-and-will-Kill-Voldemort-for-them, though none of the Order members believed that.

The Ministry personnel amongst them reported an increase in the number of alleged Death Eaters – especially those who had claimed to be under Imperius Curse after the First War – appearing in the Ministry. It was everyone's fear that just like in the First War, the Ministry of Magic would be among the first public locations to fall.

"If we are to do it without the knowledge of the Ministry, that means no Floo travel, Apparation, or Portkeys. How would that work then?" Arriella asked.

"Brooms."

"Polyjuice."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other in surprise, having both spoken at the same time.

"That is possible," Remus mused, raising an eyebrow in surprise, already catching onto their scheme. One could not be a Marauder for ten years without learning to decipher one-word sentences. Not only did communicating with mere keywords facilitate the planning of pranks in their earlier years – after all, the professors could not pin anything on them if nothing was actually said out loud – later on during intense battles there was often no time to say more.

"What?" asked several others cluelessly, not having that unique experience.

"They are suggesting that Harry uses Polyjuice to disguise himself as one of us, then we all use brooms to fly to different safehouses. This way, the Death Eaters would have more targets to concentrate on, hopefully thinning their ranks," elaborated Arriella.

Mundungus disagreed slightly. "Rather than Harry using Polyjuice, we should instead have multiple Harrys, each escorted by one senior member of the Order. Each pair would then head to a different location. This would throw them off even more."

"But who –" began Arthur.

"I'll do it," announced several voices at the same time.

Molly seemed to find her voice all of a sudden. "Absolutely not!" she shrieked.

George stared at her stubbornly. "We're of age, Mum."

"You can't stop us," argued Ron.

Arthur put a restraining hand on Molly's shoulder, halting a tirade. "They _are_ old enough to make their own choices," he sighed tiredly.

Arriella pursed her lips and exchanged a dark look with Remus. Neither of them approved of Molly's constant coddling of her children. Although it was understandable, what with most of her family dying during the First War by the hand of the Death Eaters, did she really think that secreting them away was going to do them any good?

And Harry… Harry was only eleven when he first stood up to Voldemort. As his godmother, while Arriella did feel overprotective about him at times, she was also perfectly able to let him do his job, to treat him as how he ought to be treated. Harry had already had his childhood ripped away from him, there was no way she would strip him of the dignity he deserved as a mature individual.

But Molly did not see that. To Molly, Sirius was an irresponsible godfather who rushed headlong into danger with no regard for his godson, and worse still allowed his godson to follow him. Arriella was a slightly insane woman trapped in her past, with a similar amount of disregard for Harry's well-being.

What Molly did not realise was that the two of them knew the reality of war better than most of the Wizarding World. Harry would never be safe so long as Voldemort and the Death Eaters lived, and therefore they were doing their best to create a better world for their godson to live in.

Motherly was all very-well, along with a healthy dose of protectiveness, but smothering was clearly crossing the line. As Arthur said, they were old enough to make their own choices, old enough to know who they want to be.

Would she refuse them the ability to choose for themselves, just to keep them away from the war a little longer, under some misconception of being "safe"? Would she have them abandon their friends just for her own selfishness?

As the saying went, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".

Arriella noted with some vindicativeness that Molly, teary-eyed, finally gave up the argument.

"Very well, now that the question of how is answered, let us discuss the plan," called Dumbledore.

~*~*~*~*~*

Harry wrenched open the back door and hurtled into their midst, immediately being surrounded by his friends. "But I wasn't expecting this many of you!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, figured we ought to give the Death Eaters something to remember us by," Tonks murmured softly. Remus smirked uncharacteristically, shooting Arriella a glance.

Harry finally noticed her. "I've never seen you before," he told her with a suspicious look on his face.

"Appearance-altering charm," Arriella laughed, grinning as his mouth dropped open at the sound of her voice.

"She would be acting as primary diversion of the Death Eater patrol, long enough for us to get away," explained Moody.

'_And for them to remember the legend of the Marauders,'_ added Arriella silently.

'_Pity I can't go with you,'_ Remus sighed. _'I still remember those new recruits that soiled their pants upon seeing our robes.'_

Both of them snickered at that memory.

As Harry looked on in bemusement, six of him materialised in the Dursleys' kitchen.

"On the count of three. One… two… THREE."

And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded.

In the middle of the circle the Order members had arranged themselves into, Arriella spun her broom around rapidly, immediately firing off a continuous stream of Stunners that were meant more to distract than to stun. Fifteen… sixteen… twenty… she lost count as the continuous spinning took its toll on her.

'_There weren't supposed to be this many!'_ Remus yelped in horror.

Kingsley, Moody, Tonks, Remus, Hagrid, Arthur and Bill. There was no way she could shield all of them at the same time, not when all of them were heading off in different directions. She had to make a choice, and fast.

Moody, Kingsley and Tonks were all capable Aurors who could take care of themselves, even with an additional passenger. Remus, well, there was no reason for her to doubt his ability now. She had to stay away from Hagrid simply because Harry was with him, no matter that all her senses were screaming at her to rush to her godson. The whole point of the diversion was to draw attention off him after all. That left Arthur and Bill.

Bill and Fleur were on a Thestral, which was a magical creature able to defend itself if necessary, especially since it lived in the Forbidden Forest. All right. Arthur then. She twisted the broom around with one hand, still firing off Stunners with her wand while her eyes scanned for the redhead.

There!

Rolling under a beam of green light, she shot upwards into the air to get a better view. Three Death Eaters in standard triangular formation, two more rushing to intercept them from underneath. Arriella snapped up a wandless basic shield – one of the few spells every Marauder had to learn to do wandless just in case, stopped abruptly in mid-air and aimed at the two intercepting ones.

They had not seen her. It would be a waste of an opportunity should she alert them to her presence.

The Death Eater to the right was taking a zigzag route, extremely predictable but also effective at high speeds. The one on the left had opted to use speed instead, hoping that the average wizard would not be able to calculate his trajectory. Basic Mathematics and rate of travel was not covered in the wizarding syllabus, after all.

A pity for him that Arriella was no average witch.

_Three centimetres per second,_ her mind supplied her as she closed one eye, wand pointed straight at him. She moved her wand nine centimetres in the direction he was travelling in. _One… two…_

"Stupefy," she murmured clearly, pouring a little more energy into the spell to ensure that it would be sufficiently powerful to knock him out even after travelling the distance between them.

Without bothering to see if it hit, she zoomed forward, closing the distance between her and the three Death Eaters behind Arthur as quickly as she dared. There was no more time to aim, so she had to increase the size of the target.

Seeing their companion fall, the three Death Eaters spun around in unison to see three jets of red light rushing towards them. Using the confusion, Arthur dipped his broom slightly, the 'Harry' behind him twisting around and firing another Stunner at point-blank range at the last Death Eater on their tail. He gave her the thumbs-up and she nodded back briefly, turning her broom around to the pinpricks of light she could see in the distance.

She would be a poor escort indeed if any of them died on her watch.

~*~*~*~*~*

'_All right there?'_ she called tentatively to Remus.

'_Alive,'_ Remus replied tersely and she could sense that there was something wrong, but what, she had no idea. There was no more time to speak.

Arriella dropped out of the sky, lifting the hasty Disillusionment Charm she had cast on herself and the broom and whipping off another quick succession of Stunners. Six Death Eaters, two obviously veterans and the rest probably rookies.

The Death Eaters were stunned enough at her abrupt appearance to be distracted for a moment. One of them – she suspected it was a rookie – actually slowed down to stare at her. In doing so, he failed to notice the Stunner headed his way.

Tonks glanced her way and Arriella jerked her head in a clear indication of her request. Frowning, Tonks nevertheless increased her speed as Arriella cut in between her and the remaining two Death Eaters. One of them she did not recognise, but the identity of the other was obvious.

Bellatrix Lestrange. Figured she would have gone after her blood-traitor of a niece.

Ignoring the hot anger burning through her veins at the sight of the other woman, Arriella focused. Two veterans against one, not the best odds, but she had survived worse before.

The two Death Eaters shifted their attention to her, slowing down to a stop, wands outstretched. Arriella narrowed her eyes, preparing to shift her position at the slightest movement from either of them.

A jet of red light shot past her, slamming into the unidentified one, who fell right off his broom. Arriella jerked her broom instinctively in surprise, rolling over in midair as Bellatrix did the same at the sudden spell.

"Nice, Ron!" She heard Tonks yell over her shoulder.

Bellatrix was alone. Bellatrix never fought battles where the outcome was uncertain alone.

She might never get another chance like that.

There was no question of what she had to do.

There was the slight chance that the end location was filled with enemies; however, from experience no Death Eaters worth their salt would Apparate straight to the meeting point. Any veteran fighter could track an Apparation, thus most would do a series of quick Apparations to throw off pursuit before heading for a safehouse.

Arriella leant forward, putting on a burst of speed and crashed her broom into Bellatrix just as the other Disapparated.

~*~*~*~*~*

Scarcely had they arrived before Arriella tackled Bellatrix, dropping her wand in favour of wrestling the other's away from her. _'Lumos,'_ she thought and closed her eyes in preparation.

The sudden flash of bright light from Arriella's wand caught Bellatrix off-guard and she successfully relived her opponent of her wand, jumping to her feet and Summoning her own to her at the same time. Bellatrix stared stonily up at her from her position on the ground.

"Stupefy." Twin jets of red light struck Bellatrix and the other woman keeled over.

'_Phase One of mission accomplished. Commence Phase Two.'_


	25. 24: Avalanche

**Author's Note: Uh, I got inspired? Don't expect the next – and last – chapter today, though.**

**Avalanche**

She was waiting for him when he came back.

"You went to find Harry." It was not a question.

Remus glared at her. "What else could I do?" he scoffed.

"What about Tonks? She's your wife! And she's pregnant! Are you going to abandon her now?" she asked incredulously.

"What about you?" he shot back.

"I'll be fine," she snapped, checking her watch. "I need to go." Uncorking a bottle on the table, she raised it to her lips and drank, grimacing at the taste. There was a row of six other bottles.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the last one. The bright gold colour was unmistakable. "Felix Felicis?" he asked in surprise. "Where did you get it?"

"Slughorn," she replied shortly. "He left an entire cauldron bubbling away in the Potions classroom, so I simply _borrowed_ the lot."

The corner of his lip twitched upwards in the ghost of a smile.

"You're just going to leave me behind, aren't you," he sighed.

She frowned slightly, checking her watch again. She needed to report in… ten minutes. It was often useful to arrive early, though not _too_ early. She did not want to be accused of eavesdropping, after all.

"The war's no place for a father-to-be," she finally replied, already opening the door. Glancing back, she caught the worried expression on his face just in time before it was replaced by an expressionless mask.

He was frustrated that there was nothing he could do. She understood the feeling. But there was no way he could go with her. Just because she had lost her own chance at a family did not mean she ought to rip him away from his. Family always, _always_ came first.

She turned around, tone softening marginally as she spoke, "There are other things you can do. I need a backup here just in case something goes wrong, and I'll be passing along information to you anytime I hear of a raid."

He closed his eye briefly and gave a terse nod in acceptance. That was at least better than nothing.

"Help me hide the Pensieve, will you?"

Remus nodded and watched her Disapparate with a sad smile on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*

The window creaked open a crack, causing the curtains to flutter in the sudden breeze.

A shadow slipped into the room, unnoticed.

The occupant of the room was lying spreadeagled over the bed, covers negligently tossed to one side. Perfect.

Moonlight glinted off the blade of a dagger.

There was a quiet swish and the unmistakable sound of flesh ripping apart.

In. Out. Quick and neat.

With a last flutter of the curtain, the shadow slipped out of the room.

A moment later, silence fell again.

~*~*~*~*~*

"My lord, Stevens, Gardner and Grey were found dead in their chambers this morning," reported some minor Death Eater whose name she had never bothered to remember.

Behind her mask, Bellatrix raised an eyebrow carelessly. _My, my, the rookie Death Eaters seemed to be dropping like flies lately. Wonder what's up with them._

"And has their mysterious assailant been found?" asked the Dark Lord in a deceptively calm voice.

"N-no, my lord," the Death Eater replied, shrinking back as his Master seemed to loom up before him.

"Crucio!" the Dark Lord snarled in fury.

A sadistic grin crossed Bellatrix's face as she watched the hapless minion writhe in pain. Really, they ought to know better than to bring bad news. Twenty rookies dead in a week, it made their lord look bad.

~*~*~*~*~*

'_You don't have to do this,'_ he tried persuading her again. _'It's too dangerous.'_

'_What lengths would you go to, in order to keep your family safe?'_ she asked rhetorically.

He had no answer for that. She had not expected one.

~*~*~*~*~*

Bellatrix smirked as she swept through the dark corridors of the Dark Lord's new abode, new recruits cowering away from her. She sneered. Cowards, the lot of them.

Someone had been spreading rumours that the Marauders – for who else could have murdered all those recruits? – would kill all of them and defeat the Dark Lord.

Preposterous.

No one could defeat the Dark Lord.

She ignored the sing-song voice at the back of her mind suggesting that Harry Potter could.

"Shut up," she told the voice irritably. That little voice was annoying.

The recruits exchanged a confused look.

"I think Azkaban unhinged her," she heard one of them inform the other in the barest of whispers.

Bellatrix scowled. Recruits and their rumours. She turned sharply on her heel, marching back the way she had come and heading straight for two minions who looked distinctively terrified at her approach.

She would teach them a lesson.

"Crucio!" she snapped, relishing in their screams.

Bellatrix ignored the fact that she was halfway down the next hall and thus it should have been impossible for her to hear that conversation. Minor details.

~*~*~*~*~*

'_I'm running out of Felix Felicis.'_

A reply was instantaneous. _'I'll find Slughorn. Next month, same time, same place.'_

There was nothing more that needed to be said.

~*~*~*~*~*

Bellatrix blinked as she jerked back into consciousness. Funny, she did not remember ever falling asleep. She glanced down at herself and was surprised to find herself fully dressed.

"Did I go anywhere this morning?" she posed the question to her husband.

Rodolphus gave her a strange look. "You had a meeting with the Carrows this morning about the Dark Arts curriculum in Hogwarts, remember?"

She racked her brain but came up with a blank. "Not really."

"You're probably still exhausted from the consecutive Mudblood raids," Rodolphus suggested. "Maybe you should go back to sleep."

"Maybe I should," she agreed and laid back down.

Being in Azkaban for over a decade had done many strange things to her mind, after all. Memory loss was the least of them.

She conveniently ignored the fact that she had no memories of any of the raids either.

~*~*~*~*~*

'_Still no sign of Harry?'_

'_No.'_

'_Good.'_

'_Good?'_

'_No news is good news.'_

'_Can't argue with that.'_

'_How's Tonks coping with her father's death?'_

'_As well as one could expect. I took her to Andy's for the moment.'_

'_I hope she can pull herself together for the pregnancy.'_

'_I hope so too. Do you know who killed him?'_

She paused. _'There are several who claim credit. A group of Snatchers.'_

A wave of hot, burning anger. She had to struggle to clamp down on her own emotions so as not to be affected.

'_If you find out, I want to know.'_

~*~*~*~*~*

Bellatrix blinked. Why was there a commotion downstairs?

"What is this? What's happened, Cissy?" she asked, opening the door to the drawing-room.

Her gaze was immediately drawn to the group huddled in the center. She crossed the room, walking slowly around the prisoners, until she spotted a rather familiar face. "But surely," she said quietly, "this is the Mudblood girl? This is Granger?"

Something stirred in the back of her mind.

"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius. "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"

The feeling that something was awakening, was rising through her mind intensified.

Bellatrix ignored it in favour of the revelation. "Potter?" she shrieked. "Are you sure? Well, then, the Dark Lord must be informed at once!"

There was a twisting sensation.

She jerked abruptly, her hand hovering above her Dark Mark just as Lucius clamped his hand on her arm. "Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority –"

"Your authority!" she sneered instinctively, mind working furiously while attempting to wrench her hand from his grasp. "You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!"

Her mouth worked on autopilot, sprouting Bellatrix's favourite phrases as she thought furiously. There had to be something she could do.

Wait, she recognised that sword.

Lucius threw her hand from him and ripped up his own sleeve –

Unable to think of anything else, she screamed, "STOP!" As an afterthought, she added, "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!"

Lucius froze.

There was brief, intense struggle for the sword of Gryffindor.

She had to find out if it was real. If it was a fake, she could swap it for the one in her vault. If it was real – well, if it was real, she could pretend to 'lose' it.

Greyback dragged the entire group into the cellar with the exception of Hermione, whom he took upstairs to interrogate. She frowned. Now, if she could just figure out how to get Harry out of a cellar covered with permanent Anti-Apparation wards…

At the sound of Hermione's screams, she changed directions.

"You are not supposed to rip her apart!" she screeched, blasting Fenrir aside. "We need her coherent!"

Gritting her teeth, she began the distasteful interrogation.

"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" _One… two… _She lifted the curse after three seconds, confident that Hermione would not break under so short a time, and immediately cast a nonverbal pain illusion charm. Hermione screamed again, her brain still believing that she was under the Cruciatus. She was counting on the phantom pain to mask her actions.

"What was that?" Lucius suddenly shouted. "Did you heart that? What was that noise in the cellar?"

"Draco – no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!" she commanded. Wormtail was weak and cowardly enough that Harry might stand a chance, if he was free.

Next on the list was finding out whether the sword was real, or just a copy, as Hermione had said.

"No," Griphook told her calmly. "It is a fake."

Relief crashed through her as she realised that she would not have to torture anyone else for allegedly breaking into her vault.

That moment of weakness, however, proved to be lethal. "And now," Bellatrix called in a voice filled with triumph, "we call the Dark Lord!"

Bellatrix pressed her forefinger to the Dark Mark.

The next few moments was a haze of confusion as she fought with Bellatrix to assume control, all the while subtly influencing Bellatrix to edge Harry nearer the door. _Run!_

Bellatrix was so focused on her inner battle that the crystal chandelier crashing onto her head took her totally by surprise.

The other presence took that chance to struggle for control again, causing Bellatrix – the currently dominant personality – to shriek some nonsense that she could not hear over the roar of her own heartbeat. Their heartbeat.

_NO!_ she snarled and to her surprise Bellatrix was shocked enough to relinquish control.

Without pausing to think, she hefted her silver dagger and aimed carefully. _Harry's right there. So, a centimeter to the right and slightly lower, the air beside his legs would do._

She could only watch in horror as the little House Elf chose that moment to appear right in the path of the knife.

~*~*~*~*~*

There was another voice inside her head. The voice of a male.

'_Where are you?'_

The voice sounded familiar, very familiar, though she was sure she had never heard it before.

And to her horror something in her answered back. _'Malfoy Manor.'_

Bellatrix froze.

_Who am I?_


	26. 25: The Last Stand

**Author's Note: I apologise for the delay – first my computer broke down, then I ended up in hospital, then there were exams.**

**The Last Stand**

The Dark Mark _burned_.

She paused in what she was doing, climbing up the stairs to her room.

"We have been summoned," she commented to no one in particular, hastily pulling on her hood and donning her mask.

_So we have_, the other voice sneered.

~*~*~*~*~*

She Apparated into a sea of black and white, faces all turned towards Voldemort. As his right-hand ever since Lucius had fallen out of favour, she was allowed to Apparate the closest to him.

'_I've just been called to Hogwarts,'_ Remus told her tersely. _'Any reason?'_

'_No idea,'_ she replied, as baffled as he felt. _'Warn them, HE's coming.'_

'_They already know. Harry's here.'_

'_How is he?'_

'_Reasonably unharmed.'_

'_Isn't that all we can wish for.'_

Instead of replying verbally, he sent back a wave of wry amusement at her sarcasm.

Voldemort spoke briefly, deploying teams of Death Eaters to attack various strategic weaknesses of the castle.

'_We're moving out.'_

The feeling of friendly camaraderie faded, to be replaced by urgency and a dash of excitement.

Had the day they had been preparing for finally arrived? And more importantly, would Voldemort finally, _finally_ meet his demise?

If that was so, they would need to cover their tracks, get rid of the no-longer-necessary 'equipment', tie up a few loose ends. If they were wrong, the Order would lose possibly the most valuable spy in the inner ranks of Voldemort.

She came to a decision.

'_Get rid of Bella's body, will you?'_

They had better not be wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*

With an expert flick of her wand, Bellatrix sent a rock soaring. It crashed into an invisible barrier and bounced off. So the Hogwarts staff had raised the protective wards around the castle? Good, it would buy them more time.

'_I'm at the Eastern Battlements, couple of giants here,'_ she reported.

'_I'm on my way. Think you can do anything about them?'_

She frowned at the nearest giant, roaring and bashing away at the magical barrier separating them from the school.

'_I could try to throw them at the barrier and hope they break their necks?'_ she offered.

Remus scoffed. _'Be serious.'_

She pursed her lips. It would take some careful aiming and maneuvering, but it could be done. Stepping behind one of the giants, she pretended to survey the wards, shooting a few spells that briefly outlined th wards in bright yellow. Ward-detection spells, that could potentially break the wards given enough power and repetitions. But at the power level she was using, merely pretty.

With everyone's attention fixed on the display, she shoved a dagger coated with basilisk venom – 'liberated' from Bellatrix's vault – into the giant's leg. In. Out.

Her own wand – not Bella's, that one was pointed at the wards – appeared in her left hand.

"Stupefy," she hissed, overloading the spell. The jet of light was mostly obscured by her robes, and no one was the wiser when the giant roared in pain, toppling sideways into another.

In the pandemonium that ensued as the giants smashed at each other, she took out another one of them, occasionally firing another ward-detection spell to contribute to the chaos.

In her enthusiasm, she accidentally overloaded one of those instead of the Stunner at the giant.

With a splintering sound, the wards fractured.

'_Oops.'_

'_I don't want to know,'_ Remus' exasperation flowed across the link.

Shocked, the Death Eaters stared incomprehensively at the rapidly-fading wards. Then, slowly, one of them stepped forwards. Nothing impeded him.

With a loud yell, the rest of the Death Eaters charged for the castle.

There was a sudden crash, followed by the sound of splintering glass.

A wave of red light swept outwards from the broken window, and the Death Eaters at the forefront fell. The rest stopped warily.

Remus Lupin jumped out of the window, another wave of light already speeding towards the Death Eaters, who scattered in an effort to dodge. All except for one.

Bellatrix yanked off her mask and dropped it on the ground beside her.

'_Shall we give them a show?'_ he inquired pleasantly.

'_Accidental friendly-fire?'_ She smirked. _'I like your idea.'_

Without another exchange, both of them raced forwards, shooting spells from their wands.

'_Keep turning in a circle,'_ she advised.

Remus spun accordingly, sending off a purple slash that barely missed her. By the scream behind, it actually hit someone. She grinned maniacally, baring her teeth.

'_Let's go.'_

Remus slashed his wand downwards again, then fired a wave of red light from that lower position. She simply jumped over it. All around her, Death Eaters dropped like flies. Multiple-target Stunning Spells, considered somewhat Dark by the Ministry of Magic, mainly due to the amount of power required for such large-area effect spells.

Another giant lumbered past, nearly stepping on both of them. She palmed her dagger, stabbing its leg and prancing out of the way. A bright fuschia beam of light shot past her, right into the poisoned wound she had just created. By th colour, it was an overpowered Stunner.

'_Nice aim,'_ she complimented, using the collapsing giant as cover to fire a rapid succession of spells Remus' way that somehow all missed him but found their targets in the group of Death Eaters behind him.

'_You too!'_ The corner of his lips quirked upwards, and he returned the favour. _'Goal accomplished,'_ he noted with satisfaction.

"Traitor!" Hearing the shout, both of them whirled around, wands still trained on each other as a pretence. "Avada Kedavra!"

She ducked to avoid the curse. By the time she raised her head again, Remus had broken away from her and was fiercely engaged in battle with Antonio Dolohov.

Frowning in worry but trusting that he could hold his own, she turned to survey the battlefield. Just as Remus had said, all the Death Eaters were down, save for Dolohov. There was one last giant staggering around, evidently having been caught in the crossfire of spells but not enough for it to be lethal.

"REMUS!"

Without even breaking eye contact with Remus, Dolohov sent a Killing Curse in the direction of the voice.

Tonks yelped and tripped, barely avoiding the Avada Kedavra. Bellatrix snapped her head around, diverting her attention from the last giant to the other girl, then Remus. She started forwards. Dolohov, as a member of Voldemort's Inner Circle, had a vast repertoire of deadly spells. If she helped Remus, they might defeat him faster.

Then Tonks screamed.

Whipping her head back, she threw the dagger at the giant – who was looming over Tonks' prone form – and broke into a sprint. Spells tended to lose their power the longer the distance, and at that distance even overpowering the spell might not be enough to take out the giant.

"Stupefy!" she snapped out loud as soon as she got within acceptable range, hoping beyond hope that the giant would not touch Tonks before the spell hit. _Please…_

Feeling her anxiety, Remus took his eye off Dolohov for a second.

And her world splintered.

~*~*~*~*~*

'_REMUS!'_

For a moment, she saw Dolohov's twisted smile up close, saw his glee at her shocked face as the green jet of light hit her at point-blank range.

Then that vision was sucked into a vortex leading into nothingness.

She could almost see the link between her and Remus, see it shatter into a thousand splinters and whirl around aimlessly before disappearing into the vacuum beyond her mind.

Even though she had felt it before, nothing prepared her for the fracturing of the Legilimency bond and the ripping apart of her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*

She was lying on her back, staring up at the starry sky.

_Gone…_

Pain.

_Gone…_

Something was missing, though she could not pinpoint what.

_Ahh, so the little blood traitor is dead, along with her pet werewolf._ Bellatrix stirred at the back of her mind, grinning maliciously.

A brief, sadistic smile flitted over her face.

_You ought to be sad that he's dead__,_ she commented.

_Why?_ Bellatrix scoffed. _What can you do now without him?_

The smile grew larger. She closed her eyes.

_Because I don't need you anymore._

And Bellatrix screamed.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Avada Kedavra!"

"My Lord… my Lord.. let me…" she murmured, feeling slightly sick.

Voldemort sneered and brushed her off.

"Is he dead?" he asked.

_Please, no._ Arriella begged.

"Yes," whispered Narcissa.

_No!_

She barely swallowed that scream of denial, choosing instead to laugh maniacally. She was getting very good at laughing maniacally. Did that make her a maniac? Or did it only mean she had achieved mastery over laughing maniacally? Was it even possible to have mastery over one kind of laughter?

They made their way slowly through the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid cradling Harry in his arms.

Voldemort gleefully announced the death of Harry to the occupants of the castle, causing shrieks of denial, particularly from Minerva.

Arriella winced.

Bellatrix laughed. She continued laughing even when a boy charged out from the crowd, but was instantly caught by the Death Eaters.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?" She could not resist adding in the jibe about amnesia at the end.

Voldemort ignored her impudence. "I remember." Still laughing, he set the Sorting Hat on fire.

Then several things happened at once.

Neville yanked out the Sword of Gryffindor from the hat, and stabbed Nagini with one fluid motion.

Voldemort shrieked and sent a spell at him, but Neville was already running.

Wizards from both sides began exchanging spells.

_And she saw Harry yank the Invisibility Cloak over his head._

For a moment she thought her eyes had malfunctioned. When she blinked rapidly, however, Harry was still gone.

Hope blossomed in her chest. If Harry was alive, they had a chance.

~*~*~*~*~*

They barely made their way into the Great Hall, and only Bellatrix's superior skills saved her from the fate of many of the less-experienced Death Eaters.

Voldemort was duelling Minerva, Horace and Kingsley all at once, cold hatred on his face. Around the Hall, pockets of resistance from the Inner Circle remained.

Her ears perked up at the slightest sound. Was that an Invisibility Cloak trailing along the floor she heard?

She flickered her eyes to the side.

There was a faint, but clear trail across the grime on the floor. It was obvious, to anyone who knew what they were looking for, that there was someone invisible there. She turned and tried to follow.

"Stupefy!"

Not fifty paces away from Voldemort, she was forced to fight Hermione, Ginny and Luna in tandem. She nearly groaned. If she took them out, they would be easy prey for the remaining Death Eaters, few as they were.

She sent a jet of green light – often used for Christmas celebrations, the light did nothing except imitate the colour of Avada Kedavra – narrowing her eyes in order to aim better. It missed Ginny by an inch and she grinned. _Impeccable aim, as always._ She could nearly hear Remus' dry humour, echoing from beyond the void.

_He watched helplessly as a jet of green light struck him at point-blank range._

Bellatrix frowned. What had she been thinking about again?

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Bellatrix turned her attention to Molly as the other woman threw off her cloak and ran, freeing her arms for battle. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter. Oh, that was rich. In trying to get away from the trio without harming them, she had only incurred the wrath of Molly Weasley. How wonderful.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Molly swiped her wand. Slash, twirl.

Bellatrix's smile faltered, and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, turning the floor hot and cracked. Molly was fighting to kill, and she was forced to give back as good as she got.

"No! Get back! _Get back!_ She is mine!" Well, at least it was only one person she had to worry about.

She cast another look at Voldemort to see the three teachers tiring. She had to take Molly out, and fast.

_Strike what hurts the hardest._

"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" she inquired, capering around, tauntingly out of reach. She mentally steeled herself for the next taunt. That would be a low blow. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"

Molly was practically spitting fire. "You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!"

Bellatrix laughed aloud.

Privately, she agreed.

As they fought, Molly's face blurred with Dolohov's, both snarling with rage and hate. Both aiming to kill.

_He watched helplessly as a jet of green light struck him at point-blank range._

She faltered in her step.

And that miniscule hesitation made all the difference in the world.

A jet of green light zoomed past, so close that it singed her robes. And the world finally – _finally _– stopped spinning.

Arriella blinked.

For a moment nothing made sense. Why was Molly staring at her own wand with such horror? Why was Ginny frantically screaming for her mother and pointing her wand at Arriella?

_What in the name of Merlin was she doing?_

Keeping a wary eye on the shell-shocked Molly in case the other attacked her again, she diverted most of her attention to Voldemort, who was pointing his wand at Molly, rage written across his features no doubt at the near miss of his right-hand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

She blasted Molly out of the way in time, turning to fully face Voldemort.

"Bella, what are you doing!" Voldemort screeched.

Arriella cocked her head inquisitively to the side. "Wrong person!" she chirped, twirling her wand. She was pretty sure that was not a very good response, but she was past caring. Not when there were voices… _voices_ calling to her from what was supposedly nothingness.

Voldemort seethed. "What did you do to her?"

She adopted a mock-serious look. "Hmm, I'm not pest control so I really don't know." She sidestepped a Killing Curse and continued, tapping her finger against her chin, "I think Remus fed her to the acromantula."

Her mind handed her the picture of a very large spider poking Bellatrix's body with a hairy leg and she laughed.

"You tried to kill my daughter!" Molly suddenly yelled.

She mentally reviewed what she could remember of that battle, hazy as it was, like a badly-tuned radio. "With that? A Christmas Light Charm?" she snorted.

Molly gaped.

The answer elicited the expected response. "Avada Kedavra!" snarled Voldemort.

She was already gone, landing lightly on the other side of him, now twirling two wands, Remus' wand having appeared in her other hand sometime during the jump.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, taking in the distance she covered within the space of one leap. She could practically see his irritation. Good.

"You!" he snarled, evidently having recognised the battle stance and style.

She blinked. _Focus, focus. _ "Me," she agreed.

A slow smile spread over Voldemort's face – if that could be called a face. "I wonder, how would you fare without the rest of your precious Marauders?"

All around the Great Hall, adults gasped and whispered at that revelation.

'Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked cheerfully, anticipating and avoiding the next Killing Curse at that impulsive question.

"I'll kill you!"

"You can try," she suggested. "But if I recall, you didn't do a very good job of killing either Remus or Sirius."

"Sirius Black was worthless!" snapped Voldemort.

"Hmm, and if a worthless wizard took out ten of your Death Eaters faster than someone with a monitoring charm on the wards of Godric's Hollow could send help, what does it say about your minions?" she shot back.

Voldemort snarled.

"Do you not fear death?"

"Nope."

"You lie! No one is unafraid of death!"

Arriella finally smiled. "Except someone who has nothing more to live for."

Voldemort stared at that new concept, covering up his surprise by an array of spells that she leapt over.

"Anyway, I'll be dead by sunrise," she informed him. That was probably a reckless move, but it was the truth.

"So you admit you cannot defeat the great Lord Voldemort!"

"Stop deluding yourself," she scoffed, and Voldemort was too astonished to remember to curse her. "It was my choice."

"And when you die, who else dares oppose me?" He sneered, probably thinking that he would strike a nerve.

"Well, let's see," she pretended to think, "Harry Potter, perhaps?"

Voldemort laughed. Arriella looked straight at the cleanest patch on the floor and winked.

Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, wand outstretched.

Silence.

Arriella stood to one side, watching calmly as Harry demolished Voldemort's pedestal and proceeded to cast one spell.

Voldemort was dead.

_Your work is done…_ the voices hissed. _Come… come home…_

In the celebration, movement near Harry – who was standing, staring at the spot where his nemesis had been – caught her eye.

In a shadowed corner of the Great Hall, one of the supposedly subdued Death Eaters stirred. A wand slowly raised, sending a jet of green light at Harry's back.

There was no time to warn him.

She drew her wand, shooting off a Stunner before diving towards Harry.

"Wha –" he asked in surprise, eyes widening as he realised his predicament.

And her world disappeared in a flash of green light.

**The End**

**Author's Note: Wow, it finally ended. A big thank you to all my readers, especially if you've stuck with me through the hiatus and all.**

**I always wondered why only Voldemort and Bellatrix made it to the Great Hall in canon, so I changed it a little. Also, for anyone who was wondering, Arriella wasn't protected by Harry's sacrifice, because at the moment of that sacrifice she was still Bellatrix. Harry's exact words were "my loved ones", and Bellatrix was not part of it.**

**A few people have asked me about the Marauders, as well as Arriella's fiancé. This is all I will say: he is a canon character who is assumed to have died as a single man. The rest will be revealed in the sequel. As for how there is a sequel, rest assured no one is coming back to life, the main character does not change, and although it takes place after this story, it can probably be called a prequel as well. It will be uploaded (and hopefully finished) next year.**

**Thank you, again, for reading this story.**


	27. Sequel Alert

**Author's Note**

**Dear readers,**

**The sequel to **_**Light upon the Past**_**, **_**Memories of the Past**_**, is up.**

**Thank you very much for following this story, and I hope the sequel can match up to your expectations!**

**~ Estellia**


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